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BOY'S AND GIRL'S LIBRARY. 

No. XXL 

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UNCLE PHILIP'S 

fONVEKSATIONS WITH THE CHILDREN ABOUT 

VIRGINIA 




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HISTORY 



UNITED STATES: 



( OR, 

UNCLE PHILIB^SV^ / 

CONYERSATIONS WITH THE CHILDREN ABOUT 




VIRGINIA, 



NEW- YORK : 

POBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, 
NO. 82 GLIFF-STREET. 

1844. 



v: 







ADVERTISEMENT. 



Some time since we received a letter through the 
post-office, and it was in these words : — 

" Mr. Harper, 
" I am a httle girl who lives in New- York, and I 
have read all the books which you have printed in 
the * Boy's and Girl's Library,' and I like some of 
them very much. And last Wednesday, when my 
father was talking to me about my geography, he 
told me some very curious things about the old 
times when the Dutch people lived in New- York, 
and how the Quakers first built Philadelphia, and 
about the Indians who lived in this country a great 
while ago; and I said I wished that your Uncle 
Philip would talk to his children about that and let 
you print it, and my father told me to write a letter 
to you and ask you to get the old gentleman to tell 
the children all about it, and so that made me write 
this letter to you. My father said that he thought 
you would do it for me ; and I hope you will ask 
y^ ur uncle to talk with the children all about the 
white people who first lived in this country; and 
you must give my love to your uncle ; and this is 
the longest letter I ever wrote, so I will stop. 

" A Little Girl who lives in New- York." 



ADVERTISEMENT. 

We immediately sent to the old gentleman a copy 
of the letter, and we lately received from him this 
book in writing, with the letter below. 

" My Dear Nephews, 
" When 1 sent you the book on the * Evidences 
of Christianity,' I asked you to say to the little girl 
who wished us to talk about History that we had 
done so, and now I send you our conversations 
about Virginia ; for, as that is the oldest State, we 
begin with that. If she li^ces Virginia, tell her she 
shall soon have some others ; for I think it very im- 
portant that all the boys and girls in America should 
know something about the early history of their 
own country ; and my children here seem never to 
tire when we talk on that subject. 

" Your affectionate 

" Uncle Philip." 

Neu<town, February 1st, 1834. 



CONTENTS. 



CONVERSATION I. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children how many States ttiere are, 
with their Names — Virginia, the oldest— Tells of Sir Walter 
Raleigh, and the proper kind of Books for Children to 
read Page 13 

CONVERSATION II. 

Uncle Philip tells how Virginia was first settled — First expedi- 
tion under Amadas and Barlow — Second, under Sir Richard 
Grenville and Mr. Lane — Settlement on Roanoke Island — 
First Enghsh Colony planted in America 23 

CONVERSATION III. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about Sir Francis Drake — Sir 
Walter Raleigh sends John White out to Virginia — Tells 

, them of the first Person baptized in Virginia — and of the first 
Enghsh Child bom there .....31 

CONVERSATION IV. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about the London and Plymouth 
Company — The Settlement of Jamestown, and Captain 
Smith's early Travels* 37 

CONVERSATION V. 

Uncle Philip tells the Childrer more of Captain Smith's 
Travel? ......49 

CONVERSATION VL 

Smith goes to Virginia — Stories about Smith and the Indians — 
Smith's Life saved by Pocahontas 62 



10 CONTENTS. 

CONVERSATION VII. 

Smith takes his Indian Guides to Jamestown — Sends PresentB 
back — Kindness of Pocahontas to the "Whites — Second Arri- 
val of Captain Newport, and his Return — Some Account of 
Indian Religion and Burials 78 

CONVERSATION VIII. 

Arrival of Captain Nelson — Smith's Voyage up Chesapeake 
Bay — Is made President of the Colony — How he manages 
Affairs, and compels liis Men to leave off Swearing - - 86 

CONVERSATION IX. 

First Arrival of Gates — Smith returns Home — LordDelaWa* 
comes to Virginia — Death of Ratliffe — Starving-time in Virgi- 
nia — Building of Henrico and Bermudas by Sir T. Dale — Po- 
cahontas taken Prisoner — Married to John Rolfe — Peace with 
Powhatan 95 

CONVERSATION X. 

Uncle Philip tells of the Chicahominy Indians — Pocahontas's 
Sister — Pocahontas is baptized — Changes her Name, goes to 
England, and dies there — Leaves a Son — George Yeardly 
Governor 105 

CONVERSATION XI. 

Uncle Phihp tells the Children of Governor George Yeardly — 
Beginning of Slavery in Virginia— Sir F. Vi^yatt Governor — 
Opecanchanough's Warwiih the Whites — Story about Jack-of- 
the-leather— Cruelty of some of the White Men — King James 
quarrels with the London Company, and takes away their 
Charter 115 

CONVERSATION XIL 

Uncle Philip tells the Children of Mr. Yeardly being Governor 
a second time, and of his Death— Governor West, and Gov- 
ernor Potts — Settlement of Lord Baltimore in Mar>'land — 
How Sir J. Hervev the Governor was sent home for bad con- 
duct — Sir W. Berkeley Governor— Battle of Upecanchanough 
with the Whites — He is taken Prisoner by the Governor, and 
carried to Jamestown 125 

CONVERSATION XIIL 

Uncle Philip tells the Children how Opecanchanough was killed 
—About King Charles the First and Cromwell— How Virgmia 



CONTENTS. ' ll 

supports the King — Surrenders to the Commonwealth — Pro- 
claims Charles the Second King — W. Berkeley Governor — > 
iiiteuaed Massacre of the 13th of September .... 134 

CONVERSATION XIV. 

Hncle Philip tells the Children about Governor Berkeley's 
'I'roubles, and about Nathaniel Bacon's Rebellion - - - 146 

CONVERSATION XV. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children more about Bacon's Rebellion — 
Burnmg of Jamestown, and Bacon's Death 160 

CONVERSATION XVI. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about Sir Wilham Berkeley's 
Return to England, and his Death — Where the Six Nations 
lived— Lord Culpepper Governor; and after him Lord How- 
ard—How a Man by the Name of Beverly is persecuted by 
the Governor 173 

CONVERSATION XVII. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about the Peace, at Albany, with 
the Five Nations — How the Virginians complamed of Lord 
Howard — Mr. Nicholson is made Governor— Building of Wil- 
ham and Mary College at Wiihamsburgh — Alexander Spotts- 
wood Governor — Beginning of Quarrels between England and 
France 184 

CONVERSATION XVIII. 

Ahout George Washington — Where he was born — His first Bat- 
tle--Mr. Dinwiddle Governor of Virginia — War between Eng- 
land and France— General Braddock arrives in Virginia 194 

CONVERSATION XIX. 

General Braddock's Death — More about George W^ashington — 
Capture of Fort Du Quesne, Louisburg, and Quebec — End 
of the War with the French— The Stamp Act, Patrick Henry, 
Mr Pitt, and Lord Botetourt, who was Governor of Vir- 
ginia 203 

CONVERSATION XX. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children abou^ Governor Dunmore — 
About the American Congress of 1774— How Lord Dunmore 
took the Powder from the Colony ; and how Patrick Henry 
marched to Williamsburgh to attack him— Governor Dun- 
more runs away — Patrick Henry is made Governor of Virgi- 
nia — Declaration of Independence, 4ih of July, 1776 - - 221 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 



CONVERSATION I. 



Uncle Philip tells the Children how many 
States there are^ with their Names — Vir- 
ginia^ the oldest — Tells of Sir Walter Ra- 
leighj and the proper kind of Books for 
Children to read. 

" Well, children, I've been thinking that 
while we were learning so many things, we 
ought to know something about the country 
in which we were all born. Do any of you 
know much about this country ?" 

" No, Uncle Philip, not much, except what 
we have read in our Geographies. Have 
you any pretty stories to tell us about our 
country ?" 

"Yes, — I can teU you about many 
great men who lived long before you were 

B 



14 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

born, and about the Indians : very interesting 
stories indeed, I think ; would you like to hear 
them?" 

" Oh yesj to be sure, Uncle Philip ; we will 
thank you, too." 

" First, then, tell me how many States there 
are." 

" Twenty-four States, Uncle Philip." 
" Yes — twenty-four United States : Maine, 
Yermont, New-Hampshire, Massachusetts, 
Rhode-Island, Connecticut, New- York, Penn- 
sylvania, New-Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, 
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, 
Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, 
and Missouri. In which of these States do 
you live ?" 

" In New- York, Uncle Philip. Will you 
tell us about New- York ?" 

" No, no ; not now. Let us begin with the 
oldest State — Virginia is the oldest. This 
State was first settled, and it is also the 
largest in point of extent. So I think we 
must begin with Virginia. Can any of you 
tell me how Virginia is bounded?" 

" Oh yes, Uncle 1 hilip ; we learned that in 
the Geography — Virginia is bounded on the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 15 

north by Pennsylvania, Maryland, and part 
of Ohio ; on the east by Maryland and the 
Atlantic Ocean ; on the south by North Caro- 
lina ; and on the west by Kentucky and a part 
of the State of Ohio." 

"Yery good: this is what Virginia is 
now ; but what was first called Virginia was 
mifch larger, for it embraced all that country 
in North America between 34° and 45° north 
latitude. But before I go on, I must hang up 
before you my large map of the United States ; 
— ^you will then understand better ; for I think 
that geography and history always go best 
together." 

" But, Uncle Philip, tell us what you mean 
by History." 

" History is simply the story of things 
that have happened from a long time back, up 
to this very day ; and the History of Virginia 
is nothing but a story about its great men, its 
great towns, its large rivers, the different kinds 
of plants that grow there, what the people 
who lived there did, and a great many other 
things, which I think will make a very inter- 
esting story indeed. But look up at the map, 
boys, between 34° and 45°. Tell me the States 
that are along the coast." 



16 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" There are North Carolina, Virginia, Mary- 
land, Delaware, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
New- York, Connecticut, Rhode-Island, Mas- 
sachusetts, New-Hampshire, and Vermont. 
Surely, Uncle Philip, Virginia never was so 
large as this." 

"Yes, my children, this was all called 
Virginia once ; but the map shows you tTiat 
it is not so now. Did you ever hear any 
thing about Sir Walter Raleigh ?" 

" No, Uncle Philip : who was he ?" 

" He was a man who lived in England about 
two hundred and fifty years ago. He was a 
very extraordinary man. I'll tell you a story 
about him — would you like to hear it ?" 

" Yes, yes, Uncle Philip." 

" This Sir Walter Raleigh was a very 
handsome man ; and, being very polite alsoj 
he was a great favourite with Elizabeth, the 
Queen of England. The story I am about to 
tell you, will show the manner in which he be- 
came acquainted with this queen. Once, when 
she was out upon her walk, the road in some 
parts was wet and muddy : and as she was 
walking without much comfort over one of 
the worst places in the road, she met Sir Walter 
Raleigh. He knew it was the queen that he 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 17 

saw, and immediately, with great politeness, 
took his cloak from his shoulders, and laid it 
on the ground for the queen to walk on. The 
queen accepted Sir Walter's compliment, and 
walked upon the cloak. Sir Walter alway.i 
dressed very well : his clothes were all ver^ 
fine and rich, and of course the compliment 
was greater to his queen. He became a great 
favourite with her ; but when she died, the 
poor man lost his best friend. He soon found 
a great many enemies, and during the reign 
of King James the First, who succeeded 
Elizabeth on the throne of England, he was 
accused of conspiring against this very king 
himself. 1 believe, from all that I can learn, 
that he was not guilty of this crime; but 
however, his judges condemned him, and he 
was sent to the great Tower of London." 

<' Uncle Philip, what became of the poor 
man ? did he die there ?" 

"No ; he staid there for twelve years 
or more, — after he came out he made a 
voyage to South America, to try to make 
some discoveries in that country : but he was 
disappointed. When he got home again, his 
enemies were more numerous than ever. 
They brought up the old accusation that he 
B 2 



18 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

had conspired against King James, and they 
said he told falsehoods, and disgraced his 
country. The poor man was condemned 
again this time, and sentenced to deatli. But 
I think he showed himself a good man 
when they carried him to the scaffold to cut 
his head off. The executioner came to him 
to show him how to lay his head upon the 
block ; but Sir Walter thanked him, and told 
him not to trouble himself, ' for if the heart is 
right,' said he, ' it matters but little how the 
head lies/ I think that Sir Walter was 
right. This was the speech of a wise man, 
and he knew that a quiet conscience was 
the best thing a man could have in this 
world. I wish you then always to remember 
the dying words of Sir Walter Raleigh : never 
forget them, for no one can ever be happy un- 
less he tries to be good. But the reason I 
asked you if you ever heard of Sir Walter 
Raleigh, was this : he was the first man who 
had any thing to do with the settlement of 
Virginia. Some Englishmen are now very 
proud of him, although he was badly 
treated while living. You will sometimes 
see pictures of him, with a pipe in his mouth. 
He is smoking tobacco. This is Virginia 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 19 

tobacco. When the first settlement was made 
in that State, the Indians who hved there 
used to smoke the tobacco plant. Some of it 
was carried out to England by the men who 
went back to get supplies of provisions, and Sir 
Walter became fond of smoking it ; and this 
brought pipes and tobacco into fashion in Eng- 
land. A very laughable circumstance hap- 
pened to him, however, when he first began to 
smoke. On one occasion, when he had filled 
his pipe with tobacco for lighting, he sent his 
servant below to bring him a mug of ale. 
While the servant was out, the pipe was 
lighted, and Sir Walter was smoking much 
to his comfort when the servant entered the 
room with his mug of ale. When he saw the 
smoke coming from Sir Walter's mouth and 
curling about his head, he thought he must 
be on fire, and in great fright he ran to him 
and threw the liquor in his face to put the 
fire out. The poor servant was not to 
blame, for he thought he was saving the life 
of a man who was burning. I told you, 
that he was a man of sense. He wrote seve- 
ral books, which, when you are older, you 
can read. While he was a prisoner in the 



20 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Tower, he wrote a History of the World. So 
you see this man never was idle." 

" This was a very great man. Did you 
ever see Sir Walter Raleigh, Uncle Philip?" 

" Oh no, my children, I never saw him : he 
lived two hundred and fifty years ago — long 
before I was born. He lived in the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth— George HI. was King of 
England when I was born, and George HI. 
reigned long after Elizabeth was dead. All I 
know about him I learned by reading the His- 
tory of England, and studying the lives of some 
of the great men born in that country. But all 
I tell you about men and things is not what I 
myself saw — for you know many things hap- 
pened, and many men lived and died before I 
was in the world : but though these men and 
things were not seen by me, still other people 
saw them who lived when they could be seen. 
These people have left books to tell us all 
about what they themselves saw and knew to 
be true ; and when I want to find out any 
particular thing which happened before I was 
born, I read the books which tell of that par- 
ticular thing." 

" Oh, Uncle Philip, we did not mean to say 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 21 

that what you tell us is not true — we know 
you tell us nothing but the truth." 

" No, I cannot suppose you meant to be so 
rude : but I am glad you asked me the ques- 
tion, because I wish you not only to know 
that it is true, but to give a reason why you 
believe it to be true. You believe, then, that 
such a man as Sir Walter Raleigh once lived 
in England ?" 

" Yes, Uncle Philip ; to be sure we do." 

" Why do you believe it, my children ? you 
never saw him." 

" No, Uncle Philip ; but those who did see 
him have left books to tell us about him : but 
perhaps the people who wrote the books did 
not tell the truth, Uncle Philip." 

" Very good ; some people tell falsehoods 
in their books. There are good historians 
and bad historians — and children ought to 
have some kind friend to tell them what 
books are good, and what bad ; they ought 
never to read books without first showing 
them to their parents or teachers. Reading a 
book full of falsehoods, is like talking to a 
man who does nothing but tell falsehoods. 
Children may learn a great deal by reading; 
but you had better read no books at all than 



22 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

to read bad ones. I hope you understand 
me." 

" Yes, Uncle Philip — you wish us to read ; 
and you wish us also to be sure that the books 
we read are good books." 

" That is exactly what I mean. We will 
stop now. To-morrow morning when you 
come, we will talk more about Virginia." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 28^ 



CONVERSATION II. 

Uncle Philip tells how Virginia teas first 
settled — First Expedition under Amadas 
and BarloiD — Second, under Sir Richard 
Grenville and Mr. Lane — Settlement on 
Roanoke Island — First English Colony 
planted in Ainerica. 

"Good morning, good morning, my 
young companions — how are you all to-day 1 
I was just looking for you." 

*•' All very well, Uncle Philip — how do you 
do?" 

"Well, I thank you, and ready to go on 
with the history of the oldest State in the 
Union. I told you yesterday that Sir Walter 
Raleigh first thought of settling Virginia. I 
will now tell you how he happened to think 
of such a tiling, 

" The Spaniards and Portuguese for a long 
time had been making settlements in what is 
now called South America, and it occurred 
to Sir Walter that he could do something in 



24 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

this way for his own country. He knew too 
that the Spaniards had been along the coast 
as for up as the Gulf of Mexico. He also 
knew that the country north of that was un- 
known : so he wished to make his discoveries 
there. Do you know, children, where Spain 
and Portugal are?" 

" In the South-western part of Europe, 
Uncle Philip." 

" Very good — you are right — Sir Walter 
then, being a favourite with Queen Elizabeth, 
laid his plans before her, and she granted 
him a patent." 

" Uncle Philip, what is a patent ?" 

" A patent, is a right given by the king 
of any country to any one of his subjects to 
have a right to take and keep all the lands 
which he may discover for himself." 

" But, Uncle Philip, what right has the king 
to give away what does not belong to him ?" 

" He has in truth no right ; but one is given 
him by law. When a subject of any kingdom 
discovers any lands before unknown, these 
lands by law belong to the kingdom, and not 
to the subject. But if the king grants the sub- 
ject a patent, then all the lands which the sub- 
ject discovers belong to himself. This is the 
law, bovs ; but T do noi say that it is right. 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 25 

Sir Walter got such a patent from Queen 
Elizabeth, and immediately went to work.— 
The first thing to be done was to find good 
men to help him. After much difficulty, Sir 
Walter found two very able commanders; 
one of them was a man by the name of Philip 
Amadas, the other was Arthur Barlow. He 
sent these men to explore the country which 
the Spaniards called Florida — it bears the 
same name now. These two commanders 
sailed from England on the 27th of April, 
1584, and arrived at the West Indies on the 
10th of June, in the same year. They were 
not out two months, but we sometimes make 
much shorter voyages now. Look up at the 
map, children ; do you see the West Indies ?" 

" Yesf Uncle Philip: they are south-east 
of the United States." 

" Yery well. Here, these two men re- 
mained for a short time, and then sailed for 
the American coast. They reached this on 
the 4th of July, and sailed along the coast 120 
miles before they found an entrance into any 
river. At length they came to the mouth of 
a river, entered it, and sailing up a short dis- 
tance, took possession of a body of land, and 
remained there two days without seeing any 
c 



20 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

person whatever. This was the island of 
Wococon — supposed by some to be what we 
now call Ocracoke. On the third day three of 
the natives came in a boat to the side of the 
island, and the English persuaded one of them 
to go on board their ships," 

" Why, Uncle Philip, I wonder he was not 
afraid." 

" He was, at first ; but when they gave 
him presentSj he soon saw that tliey did 
not mean to hurt him — and he was satisfied. 
The next day several boats canie to them, in 
one of which was Granganimeo, a brother of 
the king of the country. He had with him 
forty men, who treated him with great re- 
spect. The English gave him many presents; 
and he was so much pleased, that he a/terward 
brought his wife and children on board the 
ships to look at them. The Indians were so 
friendly, that in a little time Barlow, with six 
or seven men, went through Pamlico Sound 
to Roanoke, an island at the mouth of Albe- 
marle Sound. On this island they found a 
village of eight or n4ne houses. This was the 
home of Granganimeo. This prince himself 
was not then at home ; tut his wife was there, 
and treated Barlow and his men very kindly. 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 27 

The English spent several weeks among the 
Indians. They then thought of returning 
home — and, taking with them two Indians, 
they sailed for England. When they came 
before Q,ueen Ehzabeth, they reported the 
country as being so beautiful and rich, and the 
climate so mild, that the queen called it Vir- 
ginia, to let people know that this happy 
country was discovered during the reign of a 
virgin queen." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, is that the reason it is 
called Virginia ?" 

" Yes, children, that is the origin of the 
name ; Q,ueen Elizabeth first called it Vir- 
ginia. When these two men, Amadas and 
Barlow, got back, they gave Sir Walter such 
an account of every thing that he was de- 
lighted with their success ; and he resolved 
early the next year to make a second trial.'' 

"But, Uncle Philip, if the country was so 
pleasant, and the Indians so friendly, what did 
these people go back for ? Why did they not 
remain in America .^" 

" Why, they wanted provisions, and they 
wanted to tell all that they had seen, and 
get other Englishmen to come out with 
them. You know, too, they came out under 



28 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Sir Walter's patent, and they would not have 
done right if they had not gone back to tell 
him of their discoveries." 

" Uncle Philip, that was a foolish question : 
but there is one that I have been wanting to 
ask you — Why did not Sir Walter Raleigh 
sail for America himself?" 

" Really, children, I cannot tell you. No- 
body knows that but Sir Walter himself I sup- 
pose, though, he had good reasons for staying 
at home. Business, or something else, kept 
him there. But it appears that he was anx- 
ious to make other discoveries, although he 
was not able to go out himself; for early in 
the next year he sent out a fleet of seven ships, 
with people, to form a settlement in Virginia. 
Along with this fleet he sent a man by the 
name of Richard Grenville, who was to be 
general of the expedition, and another named 
Ralph Lane, to be governor of the colony. 
These men sailed from England on the 9th 
of April, 15S5 ; and reached Virginia, as Bar- 
low and Amadas had done, by the way of the 
West Indies. But this fleet was not as fortu- 
nate as the first, for it came near being ship- 
wrecked off Cape Fear. However they man- 



HISTORY OF VIUGINIA. 29 

aged to work through the storm, and they 
anchored at Wococon on the 26th of June." 

"Uncle Phihp, these men were longer sail- 
ing than the others." 

" Yes ; these men were out more than 
two months : but they had head winds, and a 
storm off Cape Fear, — that is a very dan- 
gerous place sometimes : I came near being 
shipwrecked there once myself, and I shall not 
forget it soon : but if these men had a hard time 
in getting there, they found every thing very 
comfortable when they landed. Sir Richard 
Grenville went from the island to the conti- 
nent, and after remaining there eight days, 
and finding several Indian towns, he went back 
to the fleet, and sailed for Cape Hatteras. 
There he was visited by Granganimeo, the 
prince whom Barlow and Amadas had seen. 
After much kind treatment from Granganimeo, 
they next sailed for Roanoke Island, and after 
remaining there a short time. Sir Richard 
Grenville sailed for England, leavino^ on the 
island 107 persons, under the command of 
Mr. Lane, to begin a plantation. And this 
was the first English colony planted in Amer- 
ica. Look up at the map, children ; do you 
see Roanoke Island ?" 
c2 



30 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

"Yes, Uncle Philip ; it is at the entrance to 
Albemarle Sound." 

" True, it is. I once passed this island. 
I did not land, but merely passed by it: there is 
nothing remarkable about its appearance ; but 
when I thought of the Indians who once 
lived there, and of Granganimeo, and his wife 
and children, and recollected, too, Sir Rich- 
ard Grenville's colony that was planted there, 
and that this was the first English colony 
planted in America, 1 assure you, children, I 
looked at it with a great deal of pleasure." 

"Really, I should like to see it too. Uncle 
Philip, you must have been a great traveller." 

"Yes, children, I have travelled much 
and seen many things, and, like most old 
men, I like sometimes to talk about my travels. 
But we will stop now. Good evening. 

" Good evening, Uncle Philip." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 31 



CONVERSATION III. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about Sir 
Francis Drake — Sir Walter Raleigh sends 
John White out to Vij'ginia — Tells them of 
the first Person baptized in Virginia — and 
of the first English Child born there. 

" Well, my children, we have talked about 
Queen Elizabeth. She was really a great queen. 
Englishmen are all very proud of her reign. 
In 1586, this queen weis at war with Spain, 
and she was advised to attack the Spanish 
settlements in America. She resolved to do 
so. In a little time a fleet of twenty sail was 
fitted out, with 2300 soldiers, and the com- 
mand of this fleet was given to a great com- 
mander whose name was Sir Francis Drake. 
He sailed directly for the West Indies ; and 
after he had plundered the Spanish settlements 
in those parts he sailed for the continent, and 
there again disturbed their possessions. Being 



Z2 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

near Virginia, he resolved to pay his country- 
men, who had settled there the year before, a 
visit, that he might see how they prospered. 
Sir Francis arrived off the coast of Virginia on 
the 9th of June ; and, seeing some fires at a 
distance on the land, he sent his boat ashore 
with some of his men. They landed ; and on 
coming near the fire, they saw several of their 
countrymen belonging to the Virginia colony. 
These men they carried back to the ships, and 
learning from them that the colony was in 
want of provisions, Sir Francis wrote a letter 
to Governor Lane, who was at his fort on 
Roanoke, offering him food. The next day 
Mr. Lane with some of his men came on 
board the fleet, and Sir Francis offered them 
one of two things — either to leave them a ship 
and several boats, with a month's provisions, 
to enable them to make further discoveries in 
the country, with sufficient provisions also to 
carry them all to England ; — or to give them 
a passage home in his own fleet. They ac- 
cepted the first ofl^er. The ship was selected 
for them, but before the provisions were 
on board, a violent storm came on, which 
drove the ship to sea, and broke the anchors 
and cables of several of the others. Sir Fran- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 33 

cis then offered the colony a second ship, with 
provisions ; but Mr. Lane then thought that 
he had better go home — so he sent for the rest 
of his company, and the whole colony was 
taken on board, and went back to England 
And this was the end of the first English col 
ony planted in America." 

"Why, Uncle Philip, this seems very 
strange — these people took all the trouble of 
coming to this country, and then went directly 
back to England." 

" Not so strange, when you know all 
about it. These people had difficulties with 
the Indians : the Indians tried to kill them ; 
and when they failed in that, they tried to 
starve them, by not letting them sow any thing 
on the island : so when they got entirely out 
of provisions they went home. I think they 
acted wisely." 

" But, Uncle Philip, Sir Francis Drake of- 
ered them provisions." 

" Yes ; but these provisions would not 
last long — and they knew how hard it would 
be to get more when these were gone. But 
it is a great pity they did not remain a little 
longer, for then they would have received 
supplies from home. A few days after tli-ey left 



34 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Virginia, a ship sent by Sir Walter Raleigh 
arrived off Hatteras ; and not finding the col- 
onists, returned to England, Fourteen or fif- 
teen days after this ship left the coast, Sir 
Richard Grenville arrived at Virginia, with 
three ships of provisions, but searched in vain 
for the colony he had planted. Unwilling, 
however, to lose possession of the f^ountry, he 
left fifteen of his crew upon Roanoke Island, 
and returned home. 

" It was this Mr. Lane who, on his return 
with Sir Francis Drake, first carried the to- 
bacco plant to England. And Sir Walter, as 
I told you before, was the first man who in- 
troduced the smoking of it into fashionable 
circles. 

" But Sir Walter Raleigh still appeared 
intent upon forming a settlement in- America. 
He resolved to try once more, and accord- 
ingly fitted out three vessels, and sent in 
them one hundred and fifty men to Vir- 
ginia. Before they sailed, he made a man, 
named John White, their governor, and told 
them to plant themselves at the Bay of Chesa- 
peake, and build a fort there. John White, 
with his men, sailed from England on the 
8th of May, 1587, and reached Cape Hatteras 
on the 22d July. The governor went with 



UISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 85 

forty men in his boat to Roanoke to see his fif- 
teen countrymen whom Sir Richard Grenville 
had left there. But instead of finding them, 
he saw nothing but the bones of one man. 
whom the Indians had killed. They imme- 
diately commenced lookmg for the fort and 
dwelhng-houses which Mr. Lane had built the 
year before : but here, again, they were dis- 
appointed : they found that the fort had been 
destroyed, and the houses were standing, but 
they were overgrown with weeds and vines, 
and wild deer were feeding among them. 
And when they saw all this, they knew that 
their comitrymen had been killed by the 
savages. The colony then landed, and com- 
menced a second plantation : they began by 
mending and patching the old dwelling-houses, 
and soon made them comfortable." 

"Why, Uncle Philip, the Indians were very 
cruel." 

" Yes ; they treated the English in a very 
cruel way. My children, did you ever hear 
who was the first person that was baptized in 
Virginia?" 

"^No, Uncle Philip." 

" It was an Indian by the name of Manteo. 
He was once in England, and Sir Waltei 
Raleigh ordered that he should be baptized 



36 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

when he came back to America. This Indian 
was baptized in Roanoke, in the year 1587 ; 
and as he was very friendly to the English, 
they used to call him the ' lord of Roanoke.* 
I can tell you too, the first English child 
that was born in America." 

"Who was it. Uncle Philip?" 

" It was a grand-daughter of governor 
White. She was called Virginia, because 
she was the first English child born there." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, did these people stay 
in the country any time?" 

" I do not know : but it was not long before 
they were short of provisions too : they per- 
suaded the governor to go to England to bring 
supplies of food. He went, but when he came 
back to look for his colony, he found not a 
man left." 

"Why, Uncle Philip, did the Indians kill 
these too ?" 

" I do not know, children ; nobody can tell : 
but I am afraid these poor fellows were mur- 
dered : at any rate, this was the last colony 
wliich Sir Walter Raleigh planted in America. 
He bad spent a great amount of money with- 
out getting any thing in return for it; so he 
became tired, and sold his patent to a man 
named Thomas Smith." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 37 



CONVERSATION IV. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about the 
London and Plymwtth Company — The 
Settlement of Jamestown^ and Captain 
Smith! s early Travels, 

"This Thomas Smith, children, did very 
little with the patent. For nine years, in fact, 
the English did not do much towards settling 
Virginia." 

" Uncle Philip, what was the matter ?" 

"Oh, they had been unlucky, and the In- 
dians had killed a great many of them ; and I 
suppose they began to think they could not 
plant a colony which would last." 

" But, Uncle Philip, they ought to have tried 
again." 

" Well, so they did after a while. In 1606, 
a man named Richard Hakluyt, with seve- 
ral other gentlemen, asked King James to 



38 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

give them a patent for settling two plantations 
in America. This Hakluyt was a very active 
man in planting the colony : he wrote a history 
of the voyages made in settling America ; a 
very good book, but very hard to be found. 
When you are older, if you ever see his 
book, 1 would advise you to read it." 

" Uncle Philip, did the king give him the 
patent that he asked for ?" 

" Yes ; King James granted the patent, 
and divided that part of North America be- 
tween 34° and 45° latitude into two parts, 
nearly equal. The southern part he gave to 
the London company, the northern part to 
the Plymouth company. The king had two 
reasons for dividing this country : the first 
was, because they asked for tioo plantations ; 
and the other was, because it was too large 
for one colony. And now, children, I think 
we come to the most interesting part of Vir- 
ginia history. Do any of you know where 
Jamestown is V 

" No, Uncle Philip. 

"So I supposed. It was once a thriving 
town in Virginia, but now it is all in ruins. 
I am about to tell you how that town was 
first built." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 39 

"Well, Uncle Philip, tell us all about it if 
you please." 

" After these English gentlemen got the pat- 
ent from King James, they at once began to 
make efforts to settle the southern colony. 
They fitted out three ships, put one hundred 
men on board, and gave the command to a man 
named Christopher Newport. Captain New- 
port wished to reach Roanoke Island, but he 
was driven by a storm into Chesapeake Bay. 
As he entered the bay he saw two promon- 
tories, one on the south and the other on the 
north side of the mouth of the bay. You all 
know what T mean by a promontory ?*' 

"Yes, Uncle Philip; that is in the Geogra- 
phy. A promontory is a point of land extend- 
ing into the sea." 

"Very good. Look at the map: do you 
see Cape Henry and Cape Charles ?" 

" Yes, sir. There they are, at the mouth 
of Chesapeake Bay. These must be the capes 
that Captain Newport saw. Uncle Philip." 

" Yes, these are the capes which he saw : 
and he gave them their names ; the prom- 
ontory on the south he called Cape Henry, 
after the Prince of Wales. That on the 
north he named Cape Charles, after the Duke 
of York, who was afterward King Charles 



40 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

the First, of England. Newport and his men 
were seventeen days choosing a spot upon 
which to build. At last, upon sailing up the 
James River, they pitched upon a peninsula 
about thirty-two miles from its mouth ; and 
here they began their town. This was the 
beginning of Jamestown. They first went to 
work to cut down the trees and make the land 
clear, and then to build their log-houses. The 
negroes on the large plantations at the South 
live in such houses now, made of logs, and 
the cracks are stopped up with mud and clay. 
Jamestown was once a remarkable place — 
not a large place ; not near as large as 
some of the towns now in Virginia — but it is 
remarkable because it was the first town set- 
tled in North America." 

"Why, Uncle Philip, did not the Indians 
have a town upon Roanoke Island ? You 
told us they did." 

" Yes, they did ; and they had, besides 

hat, a great many towns and villages in this 

country ; but .Jamestown was the first town 

settled in North America by the English, or 

white people — that is what I meant, children." 

"Uncle Philip, did the English stay here, 
or did they go back, like the others ?" 

" These remained ; but I believe they would 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 41 

have gone back, had it not been for one man 
they had with them. Did you ever hear any 
thing of Captain John Smith ?" 

" No, sir. Was he the man. Uncle Phihp ?" 

" He was the man : he was the ablest 
man, I think, among them all ; and as he 
had so much to do with the settling of Vir- 
ginia, I think I must tell you all about him. 
Would you like to know something of him?" 

" Oh yes. Uncle Philip — tell us some stories 
about Captain Smith. But, Uncle Philip, be- 
fore you begin, there is one thing I should like 
to know — did not they name it Jamestown 
after King James ?" 

"Yes, they did. Any more questions to 
ask?" 

" No, Uncle Philip." 

" Now then for the Ufe of Captain Smith. 
He was an Englishman by birth, but spent 
very little of his time at home. He came 
out, as I told you, with the English, to 
assist in settling Virginia ; and I believe he 
was then about twenty-ei^-ht years old. But 
before he came to this country he had been a 
great traveller, and seen much of the world ; 
and he travelled to some purpose, boys, for he 
noticed every thing. Travelling without no 
d2 



42 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

ticing men and thins:s, is like reading a book 
without understanding it." 

" Uncle Philip, will you tell us about his 
travels T 

" To be sure : I am going to tell you all 
I know about him. Smith, when he was 
young, was a very wild boy. He never went 
to school of his own accord, and when at 
school he was very lazy. He never loved 
books, but was always running about when 
other boys were attending to their business ; 
and it was this roving disposition that made 
him such a traveller. He sold his books 
and satchel to raise money to go to sea ; and 
when he was just ready for starting, his friends 
found it out, and stopped him. While he was 
at school his father died, and young Smith 
immediately fell into the hands of a gentleman 
who had been a friend of his father's ; and 
this gentleman thought that as he was not 
fond of going to school, perhaps he would like 
to be a shop-boy : and, so he was bound ap- 
prentice to the gentleman who wished to 
make a merchant of him ; but Smith had not 
been there very long before he ran away : and 
then it was that he commenced his tra-' '*5." 

" Which way did he go, Uncle Philip ^*' 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 48 

" He wandered about in England for a short 
time ; and he was so very poor that he 
began to think he nad made a mistake in run- 
ning away. I believe when he left the shop 
he had no money with him — at any rate, not 
more than one or two dollars. But though 
he wanted money, he had been so very wicked 
that he was afraid to go back to his guardian, 
and he was afraid if he remained in England, 
that his friends would catch him : he resolved 
to travel on ; and as he had heard that France 
was a pretty and pleasant country, he was 
off for France/' 

" Why, Uncle Philip, how did he get to 
France without money ?" 

" He got along very well ; and though he 
was wild, Smith never was mean and wicked 
enough to steal. After walking all day, he one 
night stopped at a public-house, quite tired out, 
and very sad. He had not been in the house 
long before an English nobleman drove up ; 
and after a while he entered into conversation 
with Smith — he found him to be a boy of 
parts, and the more he talked with him the bet- 
ter he liked him. At last he asked him if he 
was willing to enter his service, and wait 
upon him. Smith told him that he was. 
The nobleman then told him that he was 



44 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

going to France ; and this was exactly what 
Smith was glad to hear. They both set out 
for France, and it was not many days before 
they were there. But they did not stay long 
together. At first they were very well pleased 
with each other — the nobleman liked Smith, 
and he the nobleman ; but this did not last 
Jong. The nobleman himself was a very Avild 
young man, but his servant was wilder still. 
Smith was dismissed ; but his master treated 
him very kindly — he gave him money enough 
to carry him to England, and advised him to 
go home to his friends." 

'" Uncle Phihp, was not that very good 
advice ?" 

"Yes, it was — but John Smith did not 
choose to follow it. He took the money, and 
did not once think of going home. He thought 
now, that he had a chance to see the world : so 
off he moved for the French capital. What 
is the capital of France, children ?" 

"Paris, Uncle Philip." 

" Right, my young friends : Smith went to 
Paris. He had heard a great deal of this city 
— and indeed, it is a very large handsome 
city with many more people in it than 
there are in New-York ; which you know 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 45 

is the largest city in America. I did not like 
Paris much myself; but I will tell you about 
it at some other time. The city was very gay ; 
and Smith went every day to see some new 
amusement, until he was perfectly tired. He 
left Paris, visited all the large towns in 
France, and then went into Holland, where 
the Dutch live. This is a very different 
country from France. The Dutch are not 
very gay, but very industrious people. He 
started for Amsterdam. This, too, is a large 
place ; it is the capital of Holland : but before 
he reached that city he altered his plans alto- 
gether ; and I will tell you how it happened." 
" Did not he get to Amsterdam at all. Uncle 
Philip ?" 

" No. While he was on his journey to 
that place, he one day came to what is called 
a recruiting post. Do you know what that 
is ?" 

" No, sir." 

" It is a place where an officer hires 
soldiers to join the army : he offers people 
wages, and if they agree to take them, they 
enter the service, and are then said to be en- 
listed. Smith came to this place, and the offi- 
cer talked with him, and wished to per- 



46 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

siiade him to join the army. While they 
were talking, several men who had just been 
enlisted came up, and begged Smith to join 
the army, and told him that he would one 
day be a great man, a captain or a general." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, they were right ; he 
was made a captain." 

" Yes, he was made a captain after a 
time ; and he deserved it, for he was a very 
brave man. Smith consented to become a 
soldier, and at first he liked his new kind of 
life very well. But at length he became tired of 
this too. It appears to me, the great fault 
of Smith was that he never was pleased 
with any thing long. He was always restless, 
and changing his situation. He determined 
not to be any longer a soldier for the present." 
" Uncle Philip, which way did he go now ?" 
"1 will tell you presently. Smith resolved 
to desert the army, — deserters, you know, if 
they are caught, are shot : but this soldier 
was cunning ; he ran away from them on a 
very dark and stormy night, and before day 
he had gone so far that they could not catch 
him. And now he wandered about, for 
he did not know where to go : he only 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 47 

knew that it was best for him not to let the 
Dutch soldiers see hioi. At last he was for- 
tunate enough to meet with a gentleman 
who was going to Scotland. He asked our 
wild boy if he was willing to go. — for he 
wished for somebody to travel with him. 
Smith consented — as he was anxious to see 
something new, and desired to visit his native 
country again." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, he was not born in 
Scotland." 

" No ; I did not mean that he was. Eng- 
land was his home : but Scotland is north 
of EnHand : and he knew that when he ffot 
there, he would be nearer home. They went 
to Scotland together; hut this gentleman did not 
treat him as well as his English friend had 
done at Paris. He dismissed Smith as soon 
as they reached their journey's end, and left 
him to himself." 

"Well, Uncle Philip, this was very mean." 

" Very, indeed : no man should make 
a promise, unless he means to rememxber 
it. Smith was very much disappointed, and 
began to think that his best friends were 
at home. He was at a great distance from 
them ; but he set out on his journey, and aftei 



48 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

several days' travelling, he reached home and 
showed himself to his mother and his rela- 
tions. 

" And now, as it is getting late, we will 
stop. Come early to-morrow morning, anf^. 
we will go on." 

" Yes, sir. Good night. Uncle Philip." 

" Good night, children." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 49 



CONVERSATION V. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children more of 
Captain ^Smith^s Travels* 

"Good mornino^, children. We left John 
Smith (for he was yet quite a hoy) just re- 
turned from his travels to see his mother and 
friends. They were all glad to see him, for 
they had not heard often from him ; and 
many of them did not know whether he was 
dead or alive. He amused them by telling 
them stories of his travels : and after he had 
been at home a little while, he set himself 
down, like a sober boy, to hard study. He 
became very industrious : he built himself a 
little log-hut near his mother's house, that he 
might not be interrupted in his studies. He 
was constantly reading ; and never out of his 
little hut, except to eat his meals, and take 
exercise. History was his favourite study ; 
and before John Smith left home a second 



50 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

time, I can assure you he had learned a great 
deal." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, I should suppose that 
he would have been tired of travelling." 

" No, he was not. I le was, as I said before, 
restless, and could not long be easy in 
one place; and I will tell you how he hap- 
pened to thiiik of leaving home a second time. 
Smith, you know, came home to his friends 
poor. When his father died, he left some 
property to his children ; but tliere were dis- 
putes about it ; and of course it was not di- 
vided immediately. Youns;- Smith had not 
yet received his portion ; and it so happened 
that the disputes were ended, and the property 
divided while he was at home at his studies. 
As soon as he obtained his share, he beo-an to 
think of seeing more of the world. He told 
his friends that he was about to o^o : they tried 
to prevent him, and advised him to stay at 
home ; but he would not take their advice, 
and off he started. He travelled a short time 
in his own country, for the want of a compan- 
ion. At length he found a Frenchman who 
was willing to travel, and they sailed for 
France : and Smith's troubles began again as 
soon as he started — for this Frenchman was a 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 51 

great villain. It was a dark and stormy night 
when they reached France. The Frenchman 
said that he wished to go ashore, and that he 
would send the boat back for Smith. He got 
into the boat, took Smith's trunk, with all his 
money in it, pushed ashore, and made his 
escape." 

" Well, Uncle Phihp, what did poor Smith 
do?" 

" Why, he was very much distressed : 
but he learned the next time to choose 
good company. He went ashore, and found 
some men who were kind enough to lend him 
money ; and with this he was able to pursue 
his travels. He had not been in France long 
before he met the servant of the Frenchman 
who had stolen his money : he very foolishly 
attacked him, and nearly killed him. After 
he had travelled through France, visiting 
their manufactories, and noticing all the men 
and things that he saw, he resolved to go 
to Italy. He found a vessel ready to sail, and 
he at once engaged his passage. But a very 
singular circumstance happened to him on 
the way." 

" What was it, Uncle Philip?" 

" Why, it so happened that the vessel in 
which he sailed was filled with pilgrims, who 



62 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

were going to Italy ; and these, \ , j, proved 
bad company for Smith," 

" What do you mean by pilgrims. Uncle 
Philip?" 

" They are people who call themselves 
very religious, and often make long jour- 
neys to visit the spot where some saint is 
buried. They are very strange people, I 
think ; for instead of taking such long jour- 
neys, they had better be at home reading their 
Bibles, and behaving like industrious good 
men. Smith, however, got on board the 
vessel with these men ; and before they 
reached Italy a great storm overtook them, 
and they were all afraid of being lost at sea. 
Pilgrims are sometimes very superstitious. 
In the midst of the storm, while they were all 
very much frightened, they thought thai 
Smith was the cause of all their trouble. This 
was very strange ; for you all know that 
Smith could not make the winds blow and the 
waters roll ; but yet they said he made the 
storm. And what do you think they did with 
him ?" 

<' Did -they try to kill him. Uncle Philip?" 

" Yes, — they caught him, and threw him 
overboard into the sea. They thought that 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 53 

they had drowned him, for poor Smith 
sank down in the deep water, and it was some 
time before he rose : he had the good fortune, 
however, to save his Ufe in spite of them. He 
saw an island at a great distance, and suc- 
ceeded in swimming to it: but when he got 
there, he was so weak at first that he could 
scarcely stand. What became of the pilgrims 
I do not J^now ; but I know their throwing 
Smith overboard did not stay the storm : they 
should have prayed to God in their trouble, for 
he makes the winds blow, and he only can 
still them. Smith was now on this island by 
himself, not knowing what to do ; when, to his 
great joy, he saw a vessel come in sight. 
The poor fellow made signs o^ distress : the 
captain of the vessel saw him, sent a boat 
ashore, and took him on board. This vessel 
was on her way to Egypt ; and of course 
Smith was carried there. He remained there 
but a short time, although some very strange 
things may be seen in Egypt." 

•' Uncle Philip, what place did he visit 
next ?" 

"^e went to France next. He did not stay- 
long in France ; but soon thought of making 
another attempt to visit Italy. This is a very 

£2 



64 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

beautiful country, boys : the climate is very 
mild, as 1 told you when I spoke of the manner 
in which snow is brought into Naples. The 
Romans lived in this country, and they had a 
great many temples and public buildings 
worth looking at. Smith went to Rome, 
and saw all these ; but he soon grew weary — 
and off he started for Austria. At the time 
that Smith went there the Austri^ns were 
at war with the Turks." 

" Oh, Uncle Philip, Turks are very cruel, 
are they not ?" 

" They are not very cruel, but very proud. 
The Austrians made Smith a captain. I will 
tell you how it happened. When he was 
entering their country he saw the Austrian 
army going out to fight. They persuaded 
Smith to go with them : he consented ; and, 
as it turned out, he made a better soldier with 
them than with the Dutch. He was a very 
brave man — fought a great many battles with 
the Turks, and fought well. To reward 
Smith for his courage, the chief general made 
him a captain, and gave him the command 
of two hundred and fifty horsemen. He con- 
tinued with the Austrians some time, and was 
of great service to them. On one occasion, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 55 

when the two armies had made a halt within 
sight of each other, one of the Turks sent to 
the Austrian general, asking that somebody 
might come out and fight with him. The 
Austrians drew lots to determine who should 
go, and the lot fell to our friend Captain 
Smith. A great many Turkish ladies had 
come out to witness the battle, — and next 
morning, Captain Smith rode out on a fine 
horse to meet the Turk. His enemy rode out 
very proudly to meet him — and they fought 
for a long time — " 

" But Captain Smith killed him, Uncle 
Philip— did not he ?" 

" Yes ; he killed him, and two others also. 
He cut the head of the first Turk off, and 
rode back in triumph to the Austrians. A 
friend of the dead man then asked Smith to 
fight him — so he went out a second time, and 
killed this one. And if he had stopped here, 
he would have behaved well. But Smith be- 
gan to feel very proud, and thought he would 
invite somebody to come out and fight him a 
third time. He sent to the Turkish ladies, 
and told them if they wished to see any more 
fighting, to select their man, and send him out. 
This was very foolish, and also very wicked 



56 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

in Smith. I am sorry I have to tell this ol 
him; for it was very wrong. However, the 
Turkish ladies chose a man, and sent him out. 
He had a hard fight. The Turk struck Cap- 
tain Smith such a blow that he fell from hig 
horse ; and all the Turkish army began to 
shout, for they thought that he was dead : but 
they were under a mistake. He was down 
only for a moment ; in cin instant almost he 
sprang upon his feet, and then upon his horse, 
— and dashing upon the Turk, Smith gave 
him a blow which laid him dead at his feet." 

" Why, Uncle Philip ; did you ever hear of 
such a man ? What did the Turks do ?" 

" Not many such men in the world, chil- 
dren, as John Smith was. The Turks sent no 
more men out to fight him ; and the Austrians 
thought he was the greatest man they had ever 
seen. The Austrian emperor gave him his 
picture, with a great many other presents, 
and promised to give him a large sum of 
money every year of his life." 

" But, Uncle Philip, I have heard that Cap- 
tain Smith ran away from the Turks : do 
you know any thing of that ?" 

" Yes ; and I will tell you how that was. 
Some time after this, in another battle with 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 57 

the Turks, the Austrians were defeated, and 
Smith ^was wounded and taken prisoner. 
When he got well, they carried him to market 
and sold him for a slave. A lady of Constan- 
tinople bought him, to wait upon her. He, 
poor fellow, was very miserable ; and the lady 
pitied him very much. She was afraid if he 
remained in Constantinople her countrymen 
would treat him badly ; and she loved Smith, 
and wished to marry him: indeed, she would 
have married him, but she could not. The 
reason was this : in Turkey they are all Mo- 
hanwiedans ; and it is not lawful for a Mo- 
hammedan to marry a Christian. Do you 
know, children, what a Mohammedan is?" 

" No, Uncle Philip ; I was just going to 
ask you." 

" Well, I will tell you what the word means. 
There was a very wicked man, named Mo- 
hammed, who lived in Arabia more than a 
thousand years ago : this man said that he was 
a prophet sent from God ; and that he held 
secret conversations with the angels. This 
was all false. He was nothing more than a 
very wicked man. Sorjie people, however, 
were foolish enough to believe him, and to do 
as he told them. These people were called 



58 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Mohammedans, after his name. The Turks 
were among these foohsh people." 

" Oh, there is something in the Geography 
about him." 

" Yes, I know there is : and there is a life 
of this Mohammed, lately printed by my 
nephews, which, when you are older, you 
may read with both pleasure and profit.* But 
this Turkish woman could not marry Smith, 
because he was a Christian ; and so she sent 
him to a brother of hers with a letter, telling 
her brother that she leved him, and requested 
him to treat Smith kindly for her sake ; but 
this did no good : her brother was a Moham- 
medan, and he treated him very cruelly. 
When he found that Smith was a Christian, 
and that his sister loved him, he took all his 
good clothes from him, and dressed him in 
coarse clothes, like a slave : but he was not 
satisfied with this ; he shaved all the hair off 
his head, and put an iron collar on his neck, 
and then sent him into the field to work. 
Such treatment would not be borne by such 
a man as Captain Smith. He was far from 
his friends — they could not hear from him, 

• Family Library, No. X.—Piiblishera, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 59 

nor he from them. His master gave him 
bad food to eat, and not even enough of that : 
he had no good clothes : in fact, he was in the 
hands of such a cruel master that he began to 
think of running away ; but then he was 
watched so closely that he could not do this 
for a long time ; and it was almost by acci- 
dent that he made his escape at last." 

" Uncle Philip, how did he get away ?" 

" He was sent out one morning to the 
field to thrash grain, and was very busy 
at his work, when his cruel master rode up 
to see what progress he made : he said Smith 
was lazy, and began to beat him in a shameful 
manner, till at last the poor fellow could bear 
it no longer. He turned round, knocked his 
master down, and without waiting to see 
whether he had killed him or not, slipped a 
little corn into a bag, jumped on his master's 
horse, and galloped into a forest that was near." 

" AVell, Uncle Philip, I am glad. Do you 
think he did wrong?" 

" No, I cannot say I do. Every man has a 
natural right to be free ; but we will follow 
Captain Smith, now, into the wood. The 
poor man was there several days, living on 
the corn that he had in his bag. 



60 CONVERSAnONS ON THE 

" Smith did not kill his master : he gave 
him such a blow that he made him insensible 
for some time. After he had been in the 
wood until he thought that they were tired 
of looking for him, he rode out, and took the 
first road he found. He galloped along, not 
knowing which way he was going, except that 
he was getting away from the Turk. He 
rode on for sixteen days, till at length he came 
to a Russian fort. Here he was treated very 
kindly. The commander of the fort took off 
his collar, and Smith staid with him some 
days. He then asked the way to England, 
for he began to think of his home a second 
time. The commander showed him the road, 
and he started. He had to go through Russia, 
Poland, Germany, and France, to get to Eng- 
land. He met many of his old acquaintances, 
on his way, some of whom gave him very 
rich presents, for he was a great favourite 
with almost everybody who knew him. 
When he reached France, he thought he 
would go to Spain. After he had visited 
most of the Spanish cities he went to Morocco. 
Do you know where that is ?" 

" It is in Africa somewhere. Uncle Philip." 
"In the northern part of Africa, on the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 61 

Mediterranean. Nothing strange happened 
to him in this country. He remained in Mo- 
rocco but a short time, and then went home- 
wards. And now 1 will stop till we meet 



62 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION VI. 

Smith goes to Virginia — Stories about Smith 
and the Indians — Smith's Life saved hy 
Pocahontas. 

" When Captain Smith reached home this 
time, his friends were all more dehghted to 
see him than they were after his first travels. 
He had gone through some great hardships, 
and he was glad enough to see home once 
more, and enjoy some comfort. He was gone 
much longer this time than he had been in 
his first travels, and had more stories to tell 
his friends. They listened to him with great 
pleasure, because he told them of many things 
that they knew nothing about, and also be- 
cause they thought he had come home to re- 
main with them. But they were under a mis- 
take : Smith in a little time was tired of this 
kind of life ; and where do you think he went 
next r 

"Really, I do not know, Uncle Philip. I 
never heard of such a traveller in my life." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 63 

" To Virginia, boys. In 1607, he came out 
with Christopher Newport, and several other 
gentlemen, who were sent by the London com- 
pany. . These men, as I told you, built James- 
town : and here we take up the history of Vir- 
ginia again. Among the gentlemen who came 
over was one named Edward Wingfield. 
They chose this man to be president of the 
colony, and for some time they succeeded 
pretty well : some of the men did not like our 
friend Smith much, at first ; they said he 
wished to be the chief man among them, and 
they treated him badly. But it was not true. 
Smith would have been the last man to 
be cruel to others ; for he had been in so 
much trouble himself, that he knew how to 
feel for others." 

" Uncle Philip, I think so." 

" You are right. The colonists found out, 
at last, that he had no such intention, but that 
it was Mr. Wingfield who desired to be the 
greatest man among them. They began then 
to dislike Wingfield: they turned him out of 
his office, and chose a new president." 

"Did they choose Captain Smith, Uncle 
Philip?" 

" No ; Mr. RatclifFe was their next presi- 



64 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

dent : and he served them very well. In 
a little time Smith and Newport resolved 
to try to discover the head of the James 
River. In six days they arrived at an Indian 
village, of twelve houses, called Powhatan. 
Here they were treated very kindly; but 
when they got back to Jamestown, they found 
that some of the Indians had been there, 
killed one of their boys, and beat seventeen 
of their men very badly. And now they de- 
termined to arrange matters in such a way 
that the Indians would be afraid of them. 
They accordingly built a fort, mounted their 
cannons upon it, and gave the men arms. 
They had a drill of the men every day, to 
exercise them. Captain Newport then sailed 
for England, leaving behind him one hundred 
men, with plenty of provisions, and plenty of 
powder and shot." 

" Captain Smith did not go back with him, 
did he. Uncle PhiHp ?" 

" No ; you will hear of him directly. 
In the mean time I will tell you what acci- 
dents happened to the colony. Before James- 
town had been built a year, it was almost all 
burnt down." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 65 

" Did the Indians set fire to it, Uncle 
Philip?" 

" No ; it took fire by accident. If the houses 
only had been burnt, it would not have 
been so unfortunate ; for you know they might 
have gone into the forest, cut down more 
trees, and built again. But they lost a 
great part of their provisions, and, worse 
than all, this year, fifty people died: and 
among the rest, one named Bartholomew 
Gosnold. I will tell you something about him 
when I talk to you of New-England." 

"Uncle Philip, this was dreadful." 

''Yes; this was real suffering: to lose so 
many of their men, to have their town burnt 
down, and to lose almost all their provisions, 
were distressing indeed. And I believe many 
of those who were now alive would have died 
of hunger had it not been for — " 

" Captain Smith, Uncle Philip ; he is the 
man, I know." 

"Right, my lads; he was the man who 
helped them : and I will tell you how he did 
it. The people had brought a small boat 
with them from England. Captain Smith 
in this boat, with five or six stron«g men, 
went down the river till he came to 8 
f2 



65 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

place which the Indians called Ke-coiigh-tan, 
Here he stopped to buy corn. And how do 
you think the Indians treated Smith and his 
men ?" 

" Did they try to kill them, Uncle Philip?" 

" Not at first ; but they told them they 
should have no corn. The Indians, I sup- 
pose, thought that the English meant to take 
away their lands. They knew, too, that the 
English needed provisions very much, and at 
last they offered Smith one ear of corn for a 
musket." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, they must have 
thought Captain Smith was very foolish." 

"I do not know, children, what they 
thoucrht. He soon showed them that he was 
not disposed to barter on such terms. He told 
his men to pull the boat ashore and get their 
muskets. When they had got the muskets, 
Smitli told them to shoot. He did not mean 
to kill any of the Indians ; he meant only to 
frighten them ; and he succeeded very well, 
indeed ; for the Indians, as soon as they heard 
the noise of the guns, all ran into the forest as 
fast as they could go. Smith and his men then 
went into their wigwams, and saw an abun- 



HISTORY OP VIRGINIA. 67 

dance of corn ; but before they could supply 
themselves, the Indians came back with fifty or 
sixty more, to fight the English. They came, 
armed with clubs, and bows and arrows, and 
singing very loud. But there is one thing I 
had almost forgotten to tell you. The Indians, 
when they came on to fight, brought with 
thenj their Indian idol, which they called 
Okee, This idol, my children, was nothing but 
the skin of an animal stuffed with moss; 
and having brass and copper chains around 
it. Poor, foolish Indians ! they thought this 
thing would prevent the English from hurt- 
ing them. I often feel sorry for such igno- 
rant people, and I think it is the duty of every 
man who calls himself a Christian to praj^ for 
them, and to seek to enlighten them." 

" I do not wonder. Uncle Philip, that you 
pity them. I think every person might feel 
for them." 

" The English fired among these Indians : 
some of them fell ; the rest ran into the forest, 
and a message was sent to Captain Smith, 
saying that if he would let them alone, he 
should have as much corn as he wished. The 
captain consented, for he did not desire to 
hurt them : all he sought was provisions to 



68 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

save the colony from starving. The Indians 
loaded Smith's boat with corn and turkeys, 
and off he started for Jamestown ; and when he 
arrived, I can assure you they were all glad 
enough to see him, for they looked upon Smith 
as a man who had saved their lives. After a 
time this supply of food was exhausted, and 
Smith obtained more; for the Indians were now 
very much afraid of him. But I must now tell 
you about the captain's attempt to explore the 
country about Jamestown. He fitted out his 
boat, and sailed up James River as far as the 
boat could go : he left seven men to guard this 
boat, and then went in a canoe still higher up 
the river, and left two men here to watch and 
prevent the Indians from taking it. The cap- 
tain went ashore, and took with him an Indian 
whom he carried as a guide. He had not gone 
far into the country before he heard a noise, 
and the next minute an arrow came out of 
the wood and struck him in the thigh. Two 
hundred Indians then sprang out of the wood ; 
but Smith had time to tie his Indian guide to 
his arm with his garters, and use him for a 
shield. He fired his pistol at them and fright- 
ened them very much. He was retreating 
very fast, and I suppose would have escaped, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 69 

had he not come to a miry place and stuck 
fast. Here the Indians caught him. Smith 
asked them for their captain. They showed 
him a man whom they called Opechajicanough^ 
a brother of Powhatan, of whom I will tell 
you presently," 

"Uncle Philip, I wish he had got away 
from them." 

'* Then, I should not have been able to tell 
you one of my most interesting stories. Let 
me go on. Smith happened to have a little 
ivory double compass dial in his pocket : he 
gave this to the Indian captain, and he was 
delighted with it. But the other Indians were 
very violent : they said they would kill Smith, 
and they tied him to a tree. When they had 
prepared their bows and arrows to shoot him, 
Opechancanough held up the ivory compass, 
and they all paused the moment they saw it. 
This shows how much Indians think of their 
chiefs." 

"Uncle Philip, he was very fortunate." 

" Yes, my children, he made a narrow es- 
cape. The Indians untied him, and carried 
him in triumph to their village Orapaks. 
Here they shut him up in a long log-house, 
and placed forty men around it to guard him : 



70 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

and now you will see liow Captain Smith 
saved Jamestown once more. It so happened 
that while he was in his log prison, one of 
the Indian chiefs had a son who was very- 
sick. The prisoner heard of it, and told the 
Indians that he had some medicine in James- 
town, which would cure the chief's son, and 
promised, if they would let him go there, that 
he would bring it to them. They refused, 
and told Smith that they were going to kill all 
the people in Jamestown." 

" Uncle Philip, was he not frightened ?" 
" Certainly ; it was enough to frighten 
any man. It increased his desire to go 
more than ever. When he found, however, 
that they would not send him, he persuaded 
them to let three Indians go to Jamestown and 
bring the medicine. This they gladly con- 
sented to. Smith tore a piece of blank paper 
out of his pocket-book, and wrote to the peo- 
ple of .Jamestown for the medicine, and on the 
same paper informed them what the Indians 
were about to do, and advised them to dis- 
charge their cannon while the three Indians 
were at Jamestown." 

" That was to frighten them, was it not, 
Uncle Philip?'* 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 71 

" Yes — and they were terribly alarmed : for 
they went back and entreated the Indians 
never to think of attacking Jamestown. They 
then took Smith out of prison, and car- 
ried him about in great triumph to several 
Indian tribes. At last they brought him to a 
place called Werocomoco, where the great 
chief Powhatan lived." 

" Yes, Uncle Philip ; you promised to tell 
us about him." 

" Very well. This Powhatan was a very 
great chief among the Indians ; for he was 
not only king of one tribe, but of all the 
neighbouring tribes. The Indians, therefore, 
were all very much afraid of him. "When 
they brought Captain Smith before him, the 
chief was sitting on a large seat, like a bed- 
stead, drawn out before a fire, and he had one 
of his daughters on each side of him, and be- 
hind these sat a great many Indian men and 
women. They were all painted and orna- 
mented with white and blue beads, and had 
their heads adorned with birds' feathers, and 
the chief was dressed in a robe of rackoon-skins. 
When Captain Smith was led in by three large 
Indians they all made a great shout. The 
Q,ueen of Appamatuck was appointed to 



72 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

bring him water to wash his hands, and an- 
other Indian brought him a bunch of feathers, 
instead of a towel, with which to dry them." 

*' They thought he was a very great man, I 
suppose." 

" Yes, they had heard much about him : 
Smith's name was well known among the 
Indians. After he had washed and dried his 
hands, they invited him to sit down to one of 
their richest feasts ; and after he had finished 
eating, what do you think they then did 7" 

" Why, I do not know. Uncle Philip ; but 
it seems to me they treated Smith very well." 

" Ah, they only treated Smith with respect 
at first, to let him see that they knew he 
was a great man among the white people, 
that they might insult him more afterward : 
and I think they acted very basely ; for one of 
the meanest things that I can think of, is 
wilfully to insult a person whom you have in 
your power." 

" Yes, Uncle Philip, my mother has often 
told me that." 

" Well, then, you must remember it. I will 
tell you now what was done to Smith." 

" Uncle Philip, I wish to ask you one ques- 
tion about Jamestown." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 75 

" 'Btsiy, my lad, till I get through my story. 
Powhatan and the Indians now began to talk 
among themselves about what should be done 
with Smith : at length they resolved to kill 
him-^ and they were about to kill him, too, in a 
very cruel way. Indians generally shoot their 
prisoners ; but they determined that Captain 
Smith should not die by this mode. Some of 
them went out and brought in two large stones, 
and laid them before Powhatan ; the rest of 
them took their clubs, to beat out Smith's 
brains : but the chief bade them all stand 
aside, and said he would kill him himself. 
He took Smith, and tied his hands behind 
him, and then compelled him to lay his head 
upon the stones. All the Indians were stand- 
ing around, waiting, when Powhatan took his 
club, and lifted it over the poor fellow's head." 
" Oh dear, Uncle Philip ; that was dreadful." 
" Yes, it was a sad time for poor Smith. 
By the side of Powhatan stood his two 
small daughters who had been sitting by him 
on his throne: one of these was named 
Pocahontas, a little girl about twelve years 
old. She begged very hard for Captain 
Smith's life, and cried bitterly when she found 



76 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

that all her entreaties did no good. Her father 
raised the club to strike Smith ; and just at 
that moment this kind-hearted little creature 
ran forward, shrieked, and took Smith's head 
into her arms, and laid her own upon it, to 
keep the blow from falling upon him. A 
minute longer, and he would have been dead. 
Powhatan said not a word. The Indians all 
looked on, astonished. They loved Pocahon- 
tas, and they were afraid that the chief 
would kill his daughter ; but they were under 
a mistake : she clung to Smith's head, and did 
not speak : she looked up at her father, and 
her tears flowed so fast, that his hard nature 
was melted. He resolved to spare him. He 
threw down his club, raised his daughter, 
untied Captain Smith with his own hands, 
and promised, for his daughter's sake, that he 
should not be killed." 

" Uncle Philip, that was a fine girl." 
" Yes ; a very good girl. Some Indians 
are very generous ; but I like Pocahontas 
better than any Indian of whom I ever heard : 
in fact, the whole State of Virginia is now very 
proud of her character, — for some of the best 
families in Virginia boast that they are de- 
scendants from Pocahontas. 



mSTORY OF VIRGINIA. 77 

" Which one of you was it who wished to 
ask me something about Jamestown ?" 

" It was I, Uncle Philip : I only wished to 
ask if the Indians knew how to read. I was 
wondering why they did not read Captain 
Smith's note when he sent to Jamestown for 
the medicine." 

" Oh no ; they did not know how to read ; 
for if they had, Captain Smith's plan, yon 
know, would have failed." 
a2 



78 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION VII. 

I^ith takes his Lidian Guides to Jamestown 
— )Se?ids Presents back — Kindness of Poca- 
hontas to the Whites — Second Arrival of 
Captain Newport^ and his Return — Some 
Account of Indian Religion and Burials. 

" How do you do, Uncle Philip ? You ap- 
pear sick this morning-." 

" I am not very well, children ; I did not sleep 
very well last night, and I suppose it was be- 
cause I did not take my usual evening walk : 
you know I talked to you yesterday until it 
was quite dark, and after dark I never go out, 
except upon very particular business. But, 
sit down, children ; I can tell you one or two 
stories about the Indians this morning. Where 
did we leave off?" 

" You told us last, sir, about the Indian girl 
who saved Captain Smith's life." 

" Oh yes ; but you must remember her 
name. Pocahontas should not be forgotten 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 79 

by any one : if you like Captain Smith, you 
ought to Uke her." 

" Oh, Uncle Philip, I shall not forget her 
soon, for I have heard about her at home. I 
have heard one of my old uncles, who Hves 
in Virginia, talk to my father about her, and 
tell him about some of the people in Virginia 
who are descended from her. But, Uncle Phi- 
lip, you did not tell us what they did with 
Captain Smith after he was untied." 

" Powhatan, after he promised not to kill 
him, agreed to send him home, upon certain 
conditions. He told him he would send him 
at once to Jamestown ; and Smith was to 
send him back in return a grindstone and two 
cannons. The chief dismissed him, and gave 
him twelve Indian guides to guard him ; for 
Powhatan was afraid that some of the other 
Indians would hurt him. Smith travelled on 
under the protection of these guides, though 
he was very much frightened, for he was with 
them all night in the forest ; and he had been 
so often deceived by the savages, that he 
thought they would murder him. However,, 
on the next morning very early they reached 
Jamestown, and Smith carried them at once 



81, «70NVERSATI0NS ON THE 

to the fort, to get the presents for their king. 
These Indians had never seen cannons before. 
Smith loaded them with small stones, and dis- 
charged them among the branches of a large 
tree covered with icicles (for it was winter), 
and the stones made such a rattling that the 
poor guides ran away half-dead with fear." 

" Uncle Philip, I have a question to ask 
you." 

" Well, my lad, let us hear it." 

" Do you think that the Indians are brave ? 
It seems to me that Captain Smith frightened 
them very easily." 

" Yes ; I think the Indians were then, 
and are now, very brave — at least some of 
them. It is no sign of cowardice, I think, for 
a man to be afraid of a danger which he does 
not understand. Besides, the Indians were 
savages, and they looked upon Smith as doing 
works greater than their god could do." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I do not like Indians 
much." 

" Oh, I do, some of them — think of Poca- 
hontas ; do not you like them, Uncle Philip?" 

" Pretty well, children : you sometimes 
find a noble trait of character among them ; 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 81 

and you find a great deal that you must pity. 
You should always remenriber that we are 
Christians, and Givihzed; they are, for the 
most part, heathen, and savages. A Christian, 
then, will always recollect the duty of praying 
for his heathen brother." 

" Uncle Philip, what did Powhatan think 
of the cannons ?" 

"He never received them. The Indians 
were afraid to carrry them, and said they were 
too heavy. So Smith sent presents of toys to 
the women and children, and dismissed the 
guides. When Captain Smith returned, 
Jamestown was all in confusion — the men all 
dissatisfied, and the women crying for bread : 
and who do you think relieved them now?" 
" Captain Smith, to be sure. Uncle Philip." 
" No, my young friends, you are wrong 
this time : poor Smith tried, but could not. 
It was an Indian." 

" Oh, Pocahontas, was it not ?" ^ 

" Yes ; the same girl that saved the cap- 
tain's life. Every four or five days she 
brought provisions to the town, or the English 
must have been starved to death. The kind- 
ness of this Indian girl, together with Captain 



82 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Smith's telling them of the splendour in which 
King Powhatan was living, made them better 
pleased to remain than to leave the colony. And 
so we may safely say that these two saved the 
colony. But their friends in England had not 
forgotten them. The treasurer and council 
there despatched two ships with provisions, — 
one commanded by Captain Newport, and the 
other by Captain Francis Nelson, a very hon- 
est, good man. These two ships had on board 
one hundred men. Nelson was driven by 
stormy winds as far out as the West Indies ; 
but Newport arrived safe in Jamestown, shortly 
after Captain Smith had been sent home by 
Powhatan. He found that presents were 
daily brought to Smith from Pocahontas and 
other Indians, and with these they were 
barely able to live. Indeed, the poor Indians 
were now very glad to keep on friendly terms 
with the whites ; for they believed that the 
God whom Smith worshipped created all 
things ; and they used to talk about the God 
of Captain Smith." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, did these poor Indians 
have no preachers to preach to them, and ex- 
I«lain the Bible ?" 

*' Yos, children : there was a preacher among 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 88 

the white men, who came out from England 
with them." 

" What was his name, Uncle Philip ?" 

" It was Mr. Hunt, a very good man, who 
lived with them a long time, and succeeded 
in giving some of them correct ideas of God 
and his Son Jesus Christ. They would not 
believe any thing that Mr. Hunt told them at 
first ; but were willing to kill him." 

" Uncle Philip, this was strange : surely 
they must have had a strange religion, if mur- 
der was allowed." 

" True, my dear children : to us it seems 
so ; for the religion of Christ is a religion of 
charity and love, and the man who can 
think of killing or injuring another in any 
way because he does not think as he does, 
had best examine his own heart closely, to see 
whether he has that brotherly love for all 
men which his Bible teaches him he should 
have. But the religion which the Indians 
had could hardly be called religion. I told 
you that they were idolaters. They wor- 
shipped whatever thing they were afraid of, 
and which, at the same time, they could not 
keep from hurting them ; such as fire, light- 
ning, thunder, cannons, and horses. But the 



84 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

principal god, as I before said, was the one 
they called Okee, which Captain Smith called 
the devil ; and the Indians feared this idol 
far more than they loved him. They hung 
the image of Okee in their temples, and near 
this always was the sepulchre of their kings." 

"Uncle Philip, tell us how they buried 
people." 

" 1 will ; and then I must go on with our 
history ; for were I to stop to tell you all the 
strange customs that Smith found among 
these savages, it would be a long time before 
we got through. When one of their kings died, 
they opened his body, and spread it out upon 
hurdles to dry : when the body was quite dry, 
they hung jewels and bracelets, such as the 
king used to wear, about the joints of the 
knees, arms, and neck, and stuffed them with 
copper beads, hatchets, and such things : after 
this, they wrapped them carefully in white 
skins, and rolled them in mats for their wind- 
ing-sheets. They then laid them in the tomb, 
which was nothing more than an arch made 
of mats, and then placed all the remains of 
their wealth in baskets at their feet. This 
was the way when a king died : for common 
hurials, they dug a deep hole in the earth, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 85 

wrapped the corpse in skins, laid it in the hole 
upon sticks, and covered it in with earth." 

" Uncle Philip, I should like to ask one 
more question ; was there no such thing as 
mourning for their friends among them ?" 

" Yes, children ; but it was strange mourn-: 
ing. After a burial, the women returned to 
their houses, and painted their faces with black 
coal and oil, and raised a most hideous howling 
and screaming : this was the way in which 
they expressed their grief But, my young 
friends, I am afraid you do not read all the 
books in the ' Boy's and Girl's Library,' which 
Messrs. Harper publish, and which I brought 
home from New-York." 

« Why, Uncle Philip ?" 

"Because they have published one book 
which tells all about the Indians : and if you 
had read it — " 

" We would remember it, you were going 
to say, Uncle Philip : but I do remember 
something about it now, — it tells all about 
Indian funerals." 

" Yes, it tells you every thing about them ; 
and if you forget, you must read that book 
over again ; for there is much curious infor- 
mation in that book. And now we will go on. 



86 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

After Captain Newport had landed his men 
and supplies, Smith took him to see the coun- 
try and King Powhatan, and Newport bought 
several hundred bushels of corn from the king, 
for w^iich he paid with some blue glass beads; 
and then returned to Jamestown. There they 
placed these new supplies. Then Captain 
Newport, with many others, began to dig for 
gold, instead of attending to more necessary 
work. In a short time he filled his vessel 
with what he mistook for gold ore, and set 
sail for England. 



CONVERSATION VIII. 

Arrival of Captain Nelson— Smithes Voyage 
up Chesapeake Bay — Is made President 
of the Colony — How he manages Affairs^ 
and compels his Men to leave off SweaHng. 

"Well, children, we are all here again. Sit 
down. You remember a day or two since I told 
you how Jamestown was burnt : of course, you 
know, it was to be built up again. And now 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 87 

we will recollect that all the men were busy 
in building the large public houses (their own 
little huts were already finished), when Captain 
Nelson arrived from the West Indies. He 
brought with him provisions enough for six 
months, and gave it all up for the use of the 
colony. President Ratlifte wished to load his 
vessel, and send her back to England. This 
was to be done by Captain Smith : he there- 
fore went into the country, and procured for 
Nelson's vessel a load of cedar wood ; and she 
at once sailed homeward. And now I will tell 
you more of Captain Smith's exploring the 
country." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, if you please ; for I 
would rather hear about Captain Smith than 
any of the rest of them." 

" Very well. Smith left the fort in an open 
boat, with several white men, on the 2d of 
June, and sailed to the eastern side of Chesa- 
peake Bay. He first landed on an island to 
the east of Cape Charles." 

"Oh, Uncle Philip, there it is— Smith's 
Island." 

" Yes, it was named after him, and is still 
called Smith's Island. He next landed upon 
Cape Charles : here they found two fierce- 



88 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

looking- savages, who after a time talked 
kindly to them, and directed them to Acco- 
mack, the place where their king lived. Look 
to the north of Cape Charles ; do you see that 
name upon the map ?" 

" Yes, Uncle Philip." 

•' Very good. You see tJiat has not changed 
Its old name. The Indian king at Accomack 
was very kind : his people spoke the language 
of Powhatan, and gave Smith descriptions of 
bays, rivers, inlets, (fee, which were of great 
use to him in his voyage. Smith sailed on, 
and saw many islands in that large bay, but 
could not reach them, because the weather was 
so rough : the waves there sometimes run as 
high as they do out in the ocean. I travelled 
once from Baltimore to Norfolk in a steam- 
boat, down that bay, and saw larger waves 
than I ever saw in the ocean. Smith sailed 
on up the bay, until he reached what he 
called Russel's Islands." 

''Are they there now. Uncle Philip?" 

"Yes; but not under that name, I believe. 
I do not know what they are now called, 
but possibly they may be what are now 
called Watkin's Isles, situated opposite the 
land between the Rappahannoc and Potomac 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 89 

rivers. At any rate, finding" themselves next 
day in want of drinking-water, they sailed up 
Wicomico River ; there obtained a fresfi sup- 
ply ; and after sailing by many uninhabited 
islands, they next entered the river Cuskara- 
waok, which is now called Nanticoke River, 
When he found that the lands on the eastern 
side of the bay were low, and no people upon 
the islands, he sailed on the west side towards 
the State of Virginia. But here he began 
again to have difficulties." 

" What was the matter, Uncle Philip ?" 

"His men began to talk about compelling 
him to return. Their bread became mouldy, 
and they had but little of that ; and. so they 
begged of their captain to go back to James- 
town. But he spoke kindly to them — told 
them that they had a dog on board that would 
serve for food ; that it was as dangerous to re- 
turn as to go on, and finally said he was deter- 
mined to go to the river Potomac." 

" How did he know that there was such a 
river. Uncle Philip?" 

" The Indians on the eastern shore had told 

him of it. The men consented to go on ; and 

on the 16th of June they fell in with the river 

Potomac. They sailed up thirty miles with- 

h2 



90 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

out Seeing any one: at last, finding two sav- 
ages, they w6re conducted up a little creek^ 
where all the forest was filled with Indians, 
painted alhover, who were yelling and howl- 
ing horribly. Smith, in order to frighten them, 
ordered his men to fire the guns; and the 
grazing of the balls npon the water, and the 
echo of the noise through the woods, made 
them all drop their bows and arrows. He 
was then used kindly by the savages, who told 
him that they had beeji commanded to betray 
them, by Powhatan, because he did not like 
the whites as his neighbours at Jamestown. 
Having gone up as high as their boat would 
carry them, they met many savages in their 
canoes, with deer and bears. Here they got a 
supply of food, and commenced their journey 
homeward. On his way back, Smith deter- 
mined to visit the river Rappahannoc. When 
he got to the mouth of this river, the tide was 
ebbing, and his boat was grounded. Look on 
the map ; what point and island do you see at 
the mouth of that river ?" 

" Stingeray, Uncle Philip 

"Yes; and I will tell you how it got the 
name : when the boat was grounded, Cap- 
tain Smith and his men amused themselves 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 91 

by sticking fish with their swords as they 
swam in the water. The captain thrust his 
sword into a fish that struck him with the end 
of its tail, in which there was a sting. His arm 
suddenly swelled very much, and he seemed 
like a dead man for some time : his friends 
prepared for his funeral : but by rubbing his 
arm with oil, he was at length restored : and 
the point on the coast has ever since been 
called Stingeray, from this fact. Passing 
down then by the rivers Payankatank and 
Pamunky, they next fell into Powhatan, and 
soon landed in Jamestown." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I am glad the captain 
has got back home." 

" So am I, my lads ; for he came just 
at the time he was wanted. When he 
reached there, President Ratliffe was forcing 
the people to build him a large house ; and 
they were of course dissatisfied. They begged 
that he might no longer be their president ; 
but they wished for Captain Smith. Ratliffe 
was turned out, and Smith was made presi- 
dent: but he told them to take his friend, 
while he went again on another exploring 
voyage." 

" Uncle Philip, who was his friend ?" 



92 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" His name was Scrivener. He was sick at 
the time ; but Smith chose some honest men 
to help him in the government, and left them 
again. About the beginning of the year 1609, 
Captain Newport again arrived in Virginia, 
and brought with him Mrs. Forrest and her 
maid Ann Burras, the first European women 
who settled permanently in the colony. He 
also brought a crown to King Powhatan ; 
and I can tell you of the first recorded mar- 
riage that ever took place in Virginia." 
" Uncle Philip, who were the people ?" 
" Ann Burras and John Laydon made the 
first marriage. Smith, in his new voyage, 
discovered the Appamattox tribe of Indians ; 
visited the Susquehanoes, Manahoes, Nanse- 
monds, Chesapeakes, and other tribes ; and 
returned to Jamestown, after a voyage of 
nearly three thousand miles in an open boat. 
After his return liome, he received an invita- 
tion from Powhatan to visit Ijim at Wirowo- 
comoco. Smith went there ; and during his 
stay many plans were laid by the king to en- 
trap the English. Smith was, however, on 
the look-out for danger : and there was an- 
other who watcbed as closely as himself: thi* 
was Pocahontas. When her father had 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 93 

planned again the ruin of Jamestown, she 
travelled on a very dark and stormy night to 
Smith, and told him every thing." 

"Uncle Philip, was not she a noble wo- 
man ?" 

" Yes, she was, indeed. You see now how 
she saved the colony a second time. Captain 
Smith next made a visit to Pamunkey. Here 
he was attacked by several hundred Indians, 
under their chief, Opechancanough. Smith 
took him prisoner, and carried hmi in the 
midst of his warriors, who immediately gave 
up their bows and arrows. They begged 
very hard for the life of their king ; and Smith 
at last promised to give him up, if they would 
give him a supply of provisions. They con- 
sented. Smith then set Opechancanough 
free ; and they brought him the provisions. 
A few days after this. Smith was attacked as 
he travelled through the woods alone by the 
King of Paspahey. This king was a very 
large and very strong man ; but the captain 
took him prisoner, and carried him to James- 
town. But I ought to have told you how 
Smith managed matters when he was made 
president. He stopped the building of Rat- 
liffe's palace ; had the church repaired, store- 
houses built, the fort fitted up ; he made the 



94 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

men do duty upon watch every night in 
order; had the whole company exercised every 
Saturday, in the plain called Smithfield, west 
of the fort ; and sometimes more than a hun- 
dred savages would come to see them shoot 
at a mark upon a tree." 

"Then they were frightened, I know, Un- 
cle Philip." 

" Very much frightened : and that was 
what the president wished. Do you know 
the way in which Smith cured his men of 
the bad habit of swearing ?" 

" No, sir." 

" He used to have the oaths of every man 
numbered in the course of the day ; and at 
night, for every oath, he would pour a mug of 
water down the man's sleeve, until he should 
abandon such a low, wicked practice altogether. 
This will do for this time, children. I am 
afraid you have not been pleased so much with 
this as with some of our conversations ; but, 
for my own part, I like to follow Captain Smith 
among the Indians." 

" To be sure, Uncle Philip ; so do we. I 
am not tired." 

" No, Uncle Philip ; nor I." 

" Well, my lads, I am a little tired of talking 
now. To-morrow we will go on." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 95 



CONVERSATION IX. 

First Arrival of Gates — Smith Returiis 
Home — Lord De la War comes to Virginia 
— Death of Ratliffe — Starving-time in 
Virginia — BniUing of Henrico and Ber- 
mudas by Sir T. Dale — Pocahontas taken 
Prisoner — Married to John Rolfe — Peace 
with Powhatan. 

" It was in the year 1609, in the month of 
May, that the powers of the president and 
council were given to a company in London,' 
who had also the right to appoint all the offi- 
cers of the colony. The company soon chose 
their men. They made Lord De la -War, 
captain -general of Virginia; Sir Thomas 
Gates, lieutenant-general ; Sir George Som- 
ers, admiral ; and Captain Newport, vice-ad- 
miral. 

" About the last of May, Gates, Somers, and 
Newport sailed for Virginia, with nine ships, 
filled with passengers and provisions. Sir 



96 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

George Somers's ship was wrecked in sight of 
Bermudas ; the rest of the fleet reached Vir- 
ginia safe. Somers soon fitted up a bark 
in Bermudas, and went from there to Vir- 
ginia. He found the colony in a very bad 
way : they were about to lose their best man." 
"Who, Uncle Philip; Captain Smith?" . 
*' Yes : the captain was about leaving them. 
He was tired of the quarrels of his country- 
men ; and said he wanted to see the country 
aofain wFiere he was born : and I do not won- 
der at that. Every good man loves the place 
where he was born. I cannot think that the 
man who does not love his home is worth 
much. Smith then sailed for England, and 
said that he should never again see the shores 
of Virginia." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I suppose the Indians 
were glad when he went." 

"Yes: and in a very little time he was 
missed by the white men. Smith had placed 
a man by the name of Martin, with a hundred 
men, at Nansemond, and another named West, 
with one hundred also, at the falls of the 
James River (or Powhatan, as it was then 
called). As soon as he sailed ,for England, 
the Indians drove these men from their posts, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 97 

and Ratliffe, the old president, who was sta- 
tioned at Old Point Comfort, was taken, with 
about thirty men, by King Powhatan." 

" Uncle Philip, what did he do with Rat- 
hffe ?" 

" Killed him, and all his men — no one was 
saved, except a boy named Henry Spilman, 
whose life Pocahontas begged for, and Pow- 
hatan spared him. She sent him up among 
the Patawomekes, where he lived many years. 
You will hear of him again as I go on. 
These things happened shortly after Smith 
left them : but the worst was the famine that 
visited the colony, commonly called " the 
starving time." The captain had left behind 
him fifty or sixty men — poor, miserable crea- 
tures. They had nothing to eat, and could 
get nothing from the savages. They fed on 
roots, herbs, acorns, walnuts, and berries, and 
now and then got a litle fish. They ate even 
the skins of their horses." 

"Shocking, Uncle Philip!" 

" Yes, my lads ; it was a dreadful time. 
One poor, half-starved creature killed his wife, 
and had eaten a part of her before it was 
known : as soon as it was found out he was 
taken, and hung. O, my young friends, we 
I 



98 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

think too little of the blessings we enjoy. We 
live in pilenty, and therefore do not know what 
it is to want. We onght to be very, very 
thankful to God, that we hear of famine at a 
distance, but never feel it." 

"Uncle Philip, why did not these men 
leave the country ? I am sure they had good 
reasons now." 

" They did start, and got nearly to the 
mouth of the James River, when they met 
Lord De la War with three ships loaded with 
provisions, and he persuaded them to go back 
with him to Jamestown. When he reached 
the town he gave the people provisions, and 
began to guard the country against the sav- 
ages. He built two forts, and drove the In- 
dians back from the white settlements, and 
every thing went on tolerably well, as long as 
the supply of food lasted : the people, when 
this was exhausted, were again dissatisfied. 
Lord De la War then sent a vessel com- 
manded by Captain Argall up the river Pa- 
tawomeke to buy corn. The Indians would 
not sell corn to them : they were driving them 
away without any thing, when Captain Ar- 
gall saw a white boy among them, and 
requested that he might talk with him." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 99 

" Uncle Philip, what bay was this? 
"Do you not remember my teUins^ you 
of a boy that Pocahontas sent there ?" 
" Oh yes, sir ; it was Henry Spilman." 
" Right ; this was the boy. He had lived 
with them some time, and was very much 
liked among the Indians of that tribe. After 
he talked with Captain Argall, and heard of 
the sufferings of his white friends at James- 
town, he went to the Indians, and persuaded 
them to give the ship a load of corn." 
"Uncle Philip, that was fortunate." 
"That was Pocahontas, again, Uncle Philip." 
"Yes, my children ; and she was the best 
friend the whites ever had among the Indians. 
The ship returned home well loaded, but 
Lord De la War was very sick. As soon as 
he became better he went to England, leaving 
a man by the name of George Percy to take 
care of the colony, until Sir Thomas Dale, 
who was expected every day, should arrive. 
But little was done while Percy was president; 
so we will pass on to the month of May, 1611, 
when Dale reached Virginia. He found the 
people all playing in the streets of James- 
town, — asked them how much food they 



100 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

had, and they showed him their store of 
about three months' provisions. They had 
planted no corn at all : the first thing that 
Dale ordered was to plant corn. He then 
compelled them to mend their houses, which 
were almost falling over their heads, and em- 
ployed them in cutting large supplies of tim- 
ber. He kept them day after day cutting 
down the trees, and they, not knowing what 
he wanted with so much timber, became dis- 
satisfied." 

"Well, Uncle Philip, what did he want* 
with it?" 

" He was about to build a new town, boys. 
After looking about for some time to find a 
situation, he selected a point of land twelve 
miles from the falls of James River, which 
he called Henrico, after Prince Henry. Sir 
Thomas Dale made some good laws, and 
compelled the people to obey them. So 
when Sir Thomas Gates arrived in Virginia, 
in August of the same year, he found the 
colony in pretty good order." 

" Uncle Philip, is this the man whom you 
told us was lieutenant-general ?" 

"The same man. He had been to Eng- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 101 

land, and returned. Dale gave up the gov- 
ernment to Sir Thomas, and then told him 
of his plan for building a new town. Sir 
Thomas thought the plan was good ; so, in 
the beginning of September, Dale went with 
some of the men to the spot which he had 
chosen, and fenced in a place for his town. 
At each corner he built a high watch-house, 
also a church and store-houses, and then 
made some small huts for the men to live in. 
The ruins of this town are still to be seen at 
Tuckahoe, I believe." 

" Uncle Philip, I wish to ask you one ques- 
tion. Can you see any thing of Jamestown 
now?" 

" Very little of it is now standing. As you 
descend the James River you may see a point 
of land with something rising upon it, and 
when you come quite near you will find 
that it is the old tower of the Jamestown 
church: this is all that now remains of it." 

"Uncle Philip, I should like to see that old 
tower." 

" Yes, it is pleasant to see such things ; 
they remind us of so much that is worth re- 
membering. Dale obtained another town for 
the whites." 

i2 



102 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" Where was that, Uncle Philip ?" 
" He took the town of the Appamatuks 
about five miles from Henrico ; you will find 
on the map the name Bermudas : that is the 
place, he gave it the name. And now 1 am 
going to tell you of something which I think 
was not very kind in the white men." 
" Uncle Philip, I am sorry for that." 
" So am I : but let me tell you what it was. 
Captain Argall, about whom I was talking a 
little while ago, made a second voyage to the 
Patawomekes to procure corn. He found 
out in some way that Pocahontas lived among 
them, and he thought that if he could get her 
as a prisoner, that he might make her father 
promise to do any thing." 

" Uncle Philip, how happened Pocahontas 
to be there ?" 

" She had gone there to avoid seeing the 
white men killed : her father hated them, 
and killed all he could take : she loved them, 
and did not wish to see it. Japazas, the king 
of the Patawomekes, was an old friend of Cap- 
tain Smith ; so he received Argall kindly, and 
after talking with him a long time prom- 
ised to put Pocahontas a prisoner on board 
his ship, if he would give him in return a 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 103 

copper kettle. He made Argall, however, 
promise not to injure her." 

" Uncle Philip, what did they do with her ?" 

" Carried her to Jamestown ; and the gov- 
ernor sent word to King Powhatan that they 
had his daughter a prisoner, and would send 
her to him if he would return the guns and 
muskets that he had stolen from the whites. 
Powhatan was at first very angry, and said 
he would do no such thing. He loved his 
daughter very much, but he loved his people 
more. He however sent two of his sons to see 
their sister, and discover how she was treated. 
They were very happy to find her well and 
comfortable, and went back to tell their father ; 
but still the old man said he would not give 
up the guns. And how do you suppose 
matters were settled at last ?" 

" Pray tell us, Uncle Philip." 

" Pocahontas was married to a white man 
Did you ever hear of Mr. Rolfe ?" 

" No, sir." 

" Well, he was her husband : they had 
loved each other for a long time. He had 
told Mr. Dale ; and she had sent word to her 
brother, that she was about to marry John 
Rolfe." 



104 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" Uncle Philip, how did her father like it 7^ 

"At first he would not listen to his son who 
told him, and for a little while was very 
angry, and then suddenly said he was very 
willing that the marriage should take place. 
In ten days from this, he sent an old uncle of 
hers, named Opachisco, and two of his sons to 
observe the way in which they were married, 
and to act as his deputies at the wedding." 

" What does deputy mean, Uncle Philip ?' 

" The deputy of a man is one who stands 
in his place to do his business. So, if Pow- 
hatan had been wanting at the marriage, these 
men would have done what he himself would 
have done if he had been there. Is this 
plain r 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, after this there was peace between 
Powhatan and the white people; they traf- 
ficked with him and his men without any 
trouble." 

" Uncle Philip, tell us what sort of a man 
Mr. Rolfe was." 

"A very good man. You will hear more 
of him before we get through with our his- 
tory.*' 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 105 



CONVERSATION X. 

Uncle Philip tells of the Chicahoniiny In- 
dians — Pocahontas's Sister — Pocahontas 
is baptized — Changes her Name, goes to 
England^ and dies there — Leaves a Son — 
George ^eardly Governor. 

" Come in ; you are quite late this morn- 
ing. I am about to tell yt)U something 
more about that peace with the Indians. 
When Powhatan made his peace, the Chica- 
hominieSj another tribe of Indians who lived 
near the whites, agreed to make peace also. 
They sent messengers to Mr. Dale, requesting 
him to be their governor, and promising to 
own King James as their master. He was 
very glad to make them his friends ; and so 
he sent them word, that he would be happy 
always to treat them kindly, and that they in 
return should do all that they could to help 
him and his men. And now, my children, I 



106 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

will show you that Mr. Dale was an able man. 
When he first went to Virginia, the men were 
accustomed, to plant corn, and when they 
gathered the harvest, they put it in a common 
stock, to last for the next year. Every man 
in the colony would come and get an equal 
part of this stock. So whether a man was 
industrious or lazy, he got exactly the same 
supply." 

"Uncle Philip, that was not fair. Some 
who did no work received just ^s much as 
those who worked very hard." 

" Exactly so. Mr. Dale put a stop to this : 
he gave each man his own separate piece of 
land to cultivate ; each man gave two barrels 
and a half of corn to the common stock ; all 
the rest that remained belonged to himself — he 
could do with it what he pleased. So, you 
see, the harder any man worked the more 
corn he had to traffic with. They soon 
then had no lazy men among them." 

" No, Uncle Philip, because the more a man 
worked, the better it was for himself." 

" True, my young friends ; I am glad you 
understand so readily. Sir Thomas Gates re- 
turned to England in 1613, and left Dale to 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 107 

govern the colony by himself. He soon heard 
that the French and Dutch had settled them- 
selves in a part of North Virginia ; and he was 
not willing that they should remain there, 
because he thought that all Virginia belonged 
to his master the King of England. He sent 
Captain Argall up to the Bay of Fundy, who 
took a French ship, with all the clothes and 
provisions in it, and brought them to James- 
town, i should have told you that Captain 
Argall, on his way home, stopped before the 
fort of New- Amsterdam, on the Hudson, and 
the Dutch governor there surrendered." 

" Uncle Philip, that place is in New- York ; 
is it not V 

" Yes ; but it "-as then called North Vir- 
ginia." 

'' Well, Uncle Philip, I have heard my 
father say that New- York once belonged to 
the Dutch ; and Captain Argall was an Eng 
lishman." 

" So it did ; and the very next year after 
the fort had surrendered to Captain Argall, 
a new supply of Dutchmen came — built 
another fort on the south end of Manhattan 
Island, where New- York city now stands, and 



108 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

held tne country for many years, under the 
name of New-Netherlands." 

" Oh, now I know. Uncle Philip, how it is." 

" Children, did you ever hear that Pocahon- 
tas had a sister ?" 

" Yes, sir ; you told us about Powhatan's 
two little daughters being- by his side when 
Pocahontas saved Captain Smith's life." 

"True; so I did. Well, Mr. Dale wished 
to marry this daughter : he sent a messenger 
to her father, with presents, begging him to 
send his younger daughter, as he wished her 
for his wife. When the messenger arrived, 
he found Powhatan smoking his pipe : he 
laid it down, asked many questions about his 
daughter and son-in-law, seemed pleased to 
hear that she was happy ; and after many 
other questions were answered, he desired to 
know what Mr. Dale had sent him for. ' He 
sent me,' said the messenger, ' to ask you for 
your youngest daughter : he wishes her to 
be his wife.' Powhatan was surprised, and 
angry : the man then told him that her sister 
Pocahontas desired her to be sent. Powhatan 
would not believe this. At last the old man 
spoke. * Go back,' said he, * to your governor, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 109 

and tell him that I value his love and peace, 
which, while I live, I will keep : tell him that 
I love my daughter as my life ; and though I 
have many children, yet I love none like her. 
If I could not see her, I could not Hve ; and if 
I give her to you, I shall never see her. I 
hold it not a brotherly part to desire to take 
away two children at once.' 

" He then told the messenger to sleep for 
the night. In the morning early he waked 
him, gave him a buck-skin for himself, and 
two for his daughter and son-in-law, and sent 
him away." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, Powhatan was not as 
bad as I thought he was." 

" No ; for a savage, as I before said, he had 
some very good feelings : he loved his chil- 
dren tenderly. When the man reached home, 
Pocahontas and Mr. Dale were both sorry, for 
they both felt almost sure that the sister would 
come. Did you ever hear that Pocahontas 
changed her name 1" 

" No, Uncle Philip ; what was her new 
name ?" 

" The whites instructed her in Christianity, 
and she was baptized. It was at her baptism 
that she laid aside the name of Pocahontas, 

K 



110 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

and was called Rebecca. In the year 1616, 
after Mr. Dale had arranged every thing in 
good order, he thought of going home to Eng- 
land. At last, finding a man by the name of 
Yeardly, who he was willing should be gov- 
ernor in his absence, he sailed for England, in 
-company with Mr. Rolfe and Pocahontas. 
And now tell me, would you like to follow 
Pocahontas to England, or first go on with 
Captain Yeardly ?" 

" Tell us, Uncle Philip, about Pocahontas 
first." 

" She landed in England, a perfect curi- 
osity. Everybody was eager to see her : she 
was called everywhere the Lady Rebecca. 
Mr. Rolfe, her husband, travelled through the 
country with her, that she might see every 
thing. When she reached London, Captain 
Smith was then just about sailing for Virginia. 
As soon as he knew that she was there, he 
went to see her. She had heard that he was 
dead. When she saw him, she covered her 
face with her hands, but in a little time she 
was able to talk with him." 

" What did she say. Uncle Philip ?" 

" ' You,' said she, ' promised my father that 
whatever was yours should be his, and that you 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. Ill 

and he were as one. When you was a stranger 
in our country, you called Powhatan your 
father ; and I, for the same reason, will call 
you my father.' Smith begged that she would 
not call him so, because he was afraid the 
king might not like it : but she said she 
would. She then told Smith that she had 
heard he was dead, and that Powhatan had 
sent fne of his men, Tomocomo, to know 
whether it was true, and also to find out many 
things about the country. Smith recollected 
that Pocahontas had saved his life, — and 
wished to do some kindness for her. He 
wrote a letter to Queen Anne, in which he 
told her that this was the first Virginian that 
ever spoke English, and the first Virginian that 
ever was a Christian ; and therefore hoped 
that Q^iieen Anne would notice her. In a little 
time Captain Smith met Tomocomo. He was 
the husband of one of Powhatan's dausfhters, 
and was sent by the king to see how many 
people there were in England ; to see the 
English God, — and their king and queen. 
And how do you suppose he went to work to 
find out how many people there were in Eng- 
land?" 
" Did he count them, Uncle Philip ?'* 



112 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" He tried to do so. When he first landed, 
he procured a long stick, and cut a notch upon 
it for every man tliat he met. At last he be 
came tired, and threw away his stick. He 
told Smith he wanted to see his God : Smith 
told him he could not be seen. He said he 
wanted to see the king : Smith told him he 
had seen him ; but he would not believe him." 
" Uncle Philip, I should like to know what 
he told Powhatan when he went back." 

" When he reached home, the king asked 
him how many people there were in Eng- 
land ? He told him to count the stars in the 
sky, the leaves on the trees, and the sands 
upon the seashore, and then he would know 
the number." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, did the queen do any 
thing for Pocahontas after Captain Smith 
wrote that letter ?" 

" Yes, she did : but now I have sad inform- 
ation for you. The queen had just obtained 
for Mr. Rolfe an office in the Virginia colony, 
in which he would have been able to live as 
the husband of a princess would wish : and 
Mr. Rolfe, with his wife, was just returning 
homeward, when Pocahontas was taken sick 
and died." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 113 

« Oh, Uncle Philip !" 

" She was twenty-two years old when she 
died ; and left one son, who was given to his 
uncle, Mr. Henry Rolfe, to be reared by him. 
He became a distinguished man in Virginia, 
and left one daughter only ; and it is through 
her" that some respectable families trace their 
descent to the Indian queen." 

'' Uncle Philip, I am glad she was a Chris- 
tian." 

" Yes, and so am I, children. Now let us 
go back to Mr. Yeardly. He was no sooner 
left governor than the Chicahominies began to 
take his men, and kill them. He immediately 
went among them, and put them down. On 
his return home, he met Opecanchanough,and 
agreed with him not to make any peace with 
them without his consent. Opecanchanough 
then went directly to the Chicahominies, and 
told them that he alone had saved them from 
death. They all called him their king : and 
you will see, as we go on, more of the cun- 
ning of this chief." 

"Uncle Philip, how did Powhatan act 
when he heard that his daughter wa.s 
dead ?" 

k2 



114 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

"When the news reached Virginia, the old 
man had left public life, and given his king- 
dom to his brothers. He was very sad when 
he first heard it, and nothing could cheer him 
until he heard that his grandson was alive, 
and was a fine promising boy." 

" Uncle Philip, who brought him the news?" 

" Captain Argall : he was just about sailing 
for A^irginia, and Pocahontas was to have re- 
turned home with him. Argall, when he got 
back, was made deputy-governor : and he was 
very cruel." 

" I knew it. Uncle Philip ; he was the man 
who took Pocahontas prisoner." 

" True, my lads. Argall was very unkind, 
particularly to a man by the name of Brew- 
ster ; and the people sent to ask that Lord 
De la War would come to be their gov- 
ernor. He started, but died on the voyage. 
Do you know any part of the United States 
that takes its name from this man ?" 

" The State of Delaware, Uncle Philip." 

" Yes ; he died at the mouth of Delaware 
Bay ; and the State and the bay are both 
named after him." 

" Uncle Philip, what became of Argall ?" 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 115 

" He was so very cruel, that at length the 
company in England told Sir George Yeardly 
to examine into his conduct upon the spot. 
Captain Argall had private letters from Eng- 
land, informing him pf all this ; and he ran 
away." ^ 



CONVERSATION XI. 

IJyicle Philip tells the Childreti of Governor 
George Yeardly — Begimiiiig of Slavery in 
Virginia — Sir F. Wyatt Governor — Ope- 
canchanough's War with the Whites — Sto?y 
about Jack-ofthe-feather — Cruelty of some 
of the White Men — King Jwines quarrels 
with the London Company ^ and takes away 
their Charter. 

"It was in the year 1619 that Governor 
George Yeardly gave orders that some of the 
people should meet him at Jamestown, to con- 
sult about the best way of managing the colony. 
The people were all pleased : and I wish you 
to remember, my young friends, that this was 



11 (J CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

thii first assembly of the people lield in Vir- 
ginia. It was in this same year, too, that the 
London Company sent ont one hundred men 
of bad character, to be servants in the colony." 
" White men, Uncle Rhihp ?" 
.''Yes; and they sent out, also, one hnn 
dred young girls, to be wives to the men 
in the colony. Yeardly had a very easy time 
for a while. The people liked him ; and he 
would have gone on very smoothly, had it not 
been for King James." 

" What was the matter. Uncle Piiilip ?" 
" The men cultivated tobacco, and sold it 
m England. King James did not like it^ 
and made laws about it, which you can 
understand when you are older. Do you 
know liow that plant obtained the name of 
the tobacco-plant ?" 
" No, sir." 

" Because it was first found in the Island 
Tobago. And now tell me, have you never 
heard people speak of owning slaves ?" 
"Yes, Uncle Philip." 

" Well, Virginia is one of the States in 
which people own slaves ; and I will tell you 
how slaves were introduced there. In the 
year 1620. a Dutch ship, bound home from the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 117 

coast of Guinea, sold twenty blacks to the col- 
ony : and this was the beginning of slavery 
in this State. Did you ever hear any thing 
of the war of Opecanchanough with the Eng- 
lish r 

« No, Uncle Philip." 

" It was while Sir George Yeardly was gov- 
ernor that this horrid plot commenced : but 
Sir Francis Wyatt, who came to the country 
in 1621, was governor when the war began. 
We have already talked of Opecanchanough. 
When Sir Francis first arrived, he built the 
Indian chief a splendid palace, hoping to 
make him a friend to the white men. He was 
pleased for a short time, and very proud of 
his house, and was in the habit of sending for 
his men to come and see him turn the key in 
the lock : this, you know, was all new to him. 
He, however, hated the whites, and was deter- 
mined to make war upon them. And now I 
wish you to notice the cunning and cruelty 
of this Indian. He had promised to keep 
peace ; but he did not mean to do it. He 
went about among the men of his nation, and 
talked to them, until they were ready and 
wilhng to murder all the colony. He told 



118 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

tlieni tliat they were sufferiiitr, that they were 
cheated, and that the Eiiglisli desired to be 
their masters. For four years he went about in 
tliis way. Every man was made ready ; and 
all that they waited for was an excuse to begin. 
You see they were ^ not going to break the 
]ieace, but waited for the whites to do it. Just 
about this time something happened which 
gave them an excuse to begin." 

" Uncle Phihp, tell us what happened." 
" There was among the Indians a war- 
rior, commonly called Jack-of-the-feather, and 
they thought much of him." 

"That was a strange name, Uncle Philip." 
" Yes ; his real name was Nemattanow. 
He had been many times in battle against the 
whites ; and because he had never been hurt, 
the Indians supposed that he never could be 
hurt. He received that strange name because 
he would dress himself with feathers of all 
manner of colours. He had often stolen from the 
English : and at length he murdered a white 
man by the name of Morgan, and was caught by 
Morgan's servants. He tried to get away, but 
one of them shot him through the body, and 
killed him. But, my young friends, I have 
heard a strange story about his death j and I 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 119 

will tell it to you. When he was dying, he 
called some of the white men to him, and re- 
quested them to conceal his grave after he 
was dead: and what for, do you think?" 
"Really, Uncle Philip, I cannot tell." 
" Because he thought that his countrymen, 
if they could never find his grave, would think 
that he never died. He wished to be thought 
immortal ; that is, a man who could never 
die." 

" That was strange. Uncle Philip." 
" After his death, Opecanchanough pre- 
tended to be very angry, though some say 
that he was glad, because he was afraid that 
the Indians would think as much of Nematta- 
now as of him. However, you know this was 
a good excuse for breaking peace." 

" I should have thought, Uncle Philip, that 
the English would have found out something 
about it in four years." 

" Well, my lads, the governor did become 
t: suspicious long before Nemattanow's death ; 
but the cunning Indian told him ' that the sky 
should fall sooner than he would break the 
peace.' This caused the English to feel safe. 
But when Opecanchanough found so good an 
excuse for war, he began to bring all the dis- 



120 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

tant tribes of Indians together. Some of 
them liad to march through large forests by- 
nothing but the hght of the moon and stars ; 
and yet not one made a mistake. They 
came along in Indian file, and covered up 
their tracks with the long grass behind them, 
so that nobody could trace them.'* 

*' What do you mean by Indian file, Uncle 

Philip r 

'' One behind the other, so that they might 
all step in the same track. Indians always 
march in this way. They halted when they 
came near the white settlements, and some of 
th^m even went to the houses of the white 
men, under pretence of trading. The Indians 
knew so well how to deceive that they even 
showed some of the straggling whites the 
way to their houses, and gave them presents 
of venison and wild-fowl, in the name of their 
chief The white men were deceived by this 
cunning ; for they lent the Indians their boats 
on that same morning to go a fishing. But 
Opecanchanough and his men were not going 
to catch fish. They took the boats, crossed 
over to the other side of the river, and told 
their countrymen on tllat side what was to be 
the signal, and the hour for the attack. When 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 121 

they got back, they gave up the boats, and 
then waited for the hour. When the hour 
came, the whole wood was filled with the 
noise of the war-whoop. The savages rushed 
from their hiding-places, and killed every 
white man, woman, and child that they met ; 
and not content with that, they tore their 
bodies to pieces, after they had killed them." 

"Uncle Philip, what did the white men 
do?" 

" They did not expect such an attack ; and 
of course they had no way to defend them- 
selves. In one hour, three hundred and forty- 
seven men, women, and children were killed 
by the Indians, without making any defence 
at all." 

" Uncle Philip, that was a large part of the 
colony." 

" Yes ; and an accident was all that saved 
the rest from destruction." 

" What was it, sir?" 

"A Christian Indian, by the name of 
Chanco, lived with a white man, named Rich- 
ard Pace, and loved his master very much. 
On the night before this dreadful massacre, 
the brother of Chanco slept with him, told 
him all the plot, and commanded him in the 

L 



122 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

name of Opecanclianough to kill his master. 
The grateful Chanco refused to do it ; but as 
soon as his brother had gone, he went to Mr. 
Pace and told him of the plot. Mr. Pace sent a 
messenger before day to the governor at James- 
town, and that was the only thing that saved 
Jamestown, and the settlements in the neigh- 
bourhood." 

" Uncle Philip, this was worse than the 
starving-time." 

" Much worse, children, than any thing that 
had yet happened to them. The plantations 
were reduced from the number of eighty to 
six only ; and the people on these were forced 
to stop work to defend themselves. A long 
war followed this cruelty. The whites were 
determined to be revenged : but the Indians 
knew more about the country than they did, 
and the whites could not find where they 
were hidden. For whole days the Indians 
would lie upon their faces, in the woods, and 
wait for an opportunity to steal, and murder 
people. They were very near the same colour 
as the ground, and they were always so quiet 
that nobody ever saw them until they sprang 
upon them. When the white men found tfiat 
the Indians would not come to an open war, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 123 

they resorted to a trick which, I am sorry to 
say, was base and cruel. The Indians were 
drawn from their hiding-places, by the solemn 
promise of safety and forgiveness. They 
were no sooner settled in their old employ- 
ments than the white men fell upon them at 
the same moment and murdered all the men, 
women, and children that they could find." 
" Did they kill Opecanchanough ?" 
" No, my children. They thought, at first, 
that they had him a prisoner, but they were 
under a mistake. He did not believe the whites 
when they promised to forgive his country- 
men ; and it was owing to him that many 
Indians were able to make an escape into the 
forests. But th'fe Indians did not lose many 
men ; not near as many as three hundred." 
" Uncle Philip, this was a dreadful war." 
" Yes : and when the news reached the 
company in London, they were very sad. 
The king, too, pretended to be sorry, and 
said that he would get young men out of all 
the counties in England, and send them to 
Virginia. But it all ended in promising; 
for every man who came to Virginia shortly 
after this, had to pay his own expenses. 
The fact is, that King James never liked 



124 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

tilis colony. A body of men governed at a 
distance, and doing much as they pleased, 
did not please him. He quarrelled with the 
company in London, — said th«at it was their 
fault that the Indian massacre ever occurred, 
— that the people in Virginia ought not to 
have an assembly, and finished by taking 
away the charter from the company, and 
keeping the right to manage the colony in 
himself" 

" Uncle Philip, do you think that the king 
did right?" 

" No, I cannot say that I do ; for the people 
in Virginia sent to entreat King James not ta 
blame the company, and to permit them to hold 
their assembly. These quafrels between the 
king and the company lasted for two or three 
years ; and in the mean time Sir Francis 
Wyatt continued to govern the colony. He 
made war upon all the Indian tribes but the 
Patawomekes. This tribe was friendly to the 
whites, and the only tribe that Opecancha- 
nough could not persuade to join him in his 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA 125 



CONVERSATION XH. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children of Mr. Year Sly 
being Governor a second time, and of his 
Death — Governor West, and Governor Potts 
— Settlement of Lord Baltimore in Mary- 
land — How Sir J. Hervcy the Governor was 
sent home for bad conduct — Sir W. Berke- 
ley Governor — Battle of Opecanchanoiigh 
with the Whites — He is taken Prisoner by 
the Governor, and carried to Jamestoivn. 

" You will remember what I told you yes- 
terday about Kin^ James. The company 
had sent Sir F. Wyatt as their governor, but 
the king had taken away their charter. So 
Mr. Wyatt was up longer governor. He con- 
tinued, however, to rule the colony until the 
king should send some other person to take 
his place. About this time King James 
died." 

" Uncle Philip, what year was it ?" 
" It was in the year 1625 that he died, and 
in the same year his son Charles the First 
l2 



126 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

succeeded him as king of England. Wyatt 
was still figliting with the Indians, and he 
was unwilling to leave his countrymen with' 
out any leader. As soon as Charles was king, 
he made Sir ('eorge Yeardly govtruor, with 

council of twelve men." 

" The same man wlio was governor before, 
Uncle Philip?" 

"The same individual. One of the first 
things that he did was to burn all the wood 
and grass upon a large piece of land in 
the neighbourhood of the white settlements, 
so that the Indians could not creep upon them 
without being seen The Indians were still 
at war with the English, and once or twice 
during the time that he was governor, it was 
said that the savages were preparing for an- 
other massacre. However, these u^ere no- 
thing more than false alarms. In 1G27 Sir 
George died. The council then elected 
Francis West to succeed him as governor. 
He ruled for a very short time, and the only 
thing that I know which he did was to order 
the people to take care of their powder, be- 
cause they would need it if the Indians should 
rise upon them." 

" Then tell us who was the next governor, 
Uncle Philip." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 127 

"John Potts was the next. He began, at 
once, to prepare the men to defend them- 
selves. And it was fortunate that he did 
so. He had just finished putting his men 
in order, when the Chicahominies and Pa- 
munkies, under Opecanchanough, made an 
attack upon him. They killed so many- 
men that Mr. Potts was anxious to make 
peace, and proposed it to them. But they 
said that they would not believe in any peace 
that the white men could make, because they 
had once told falsehoods, ^he governor did 
not, at first, know what they meant; but 
they told him of the promises of the white 
men six years before, when they killed all the 
Indians whom they could find. So you see, 
my children, there was no peace made, and 
you will notice the reason too. When we 
know that a man has once told a lie, and de- 
ceived us, we never know when to believe 
him." 

" But, Uncle Philip, I think that the Indians 
deceived the whites first." 

" Well, that is no excuse. If a man tells 
me a lie to injure me, that gives me no right 
to tell another to injure him. Tell me, now, 
what is the name of the largest town in Mary- 
land?" 



128 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" Baltimore. Is it not, sir ?" 

" Yes. Do you know how it obtained 
the name ?" 

" No, Uncle Philip ; tell us, if you please." 

" It was in 1628, while Mr. Potts was gov- 
ernor of the colony, that Cecilius Calvert, a 
Roman Catholic nobleman, commonly called 
Lord Baltimore, left Newfoundland, where 
he had made a settlement, and came to 
Virginia. He had heard so much of the 
country that he was desirous of living there. 
The English hat^d the Roman Catholic reli- 
gion very much. The Virginians disliked it 
as much as the English did : so when Lord 
Baltimore arrived among them, they desired 
him to swear to obey their king, and all his 
laws. He refused to do it. They said that 
he must take the oath, and he continued to 
refuse, and it was not until the year 1632 that 
King Charles, to settle matters, made him a 
grant of land. 

" The land given to him was a part of Vir- 
ginia, and he called it Maryland, after Queen 
Mary. And the city of Baltimore is named 
after him. Look on the map. Now, Thomas, 
put your finger on the city of Baltimore." 

"There it is, Uncle Philip, on the Paiapsco 
River running into Chesapeake Bay." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 129 

"Well, this place now has in it about eighty 
thousand people, and it has all grown up, 
too, during the last fifty years : for at the 
time of the American revolution, Baltimore 
had but about sixty houses in it, and half of 
these made of logs." 

"Uncle Philip, how many houses are in 
Baltimore now ?" 

" Indeed, I cannot tell. It is now a large 
city. The houses are built of brick, as they 
are in New- York, Philadelphia, and Boston. 
And now let us go back a little ; I wish to 
tell you something of Sir John Hervey, who 
was made governor of Virginia in 1629. He 
was one of the most cruel governors ever 
known in the colony. He compelled some of 
his men to work so hard that they died. He 
caused them to pay heavy taxes to support 
him ; made the assembly do just as he pleased : 
and almost all his men became tired of such a 
master. The only good thing that he did for 
his country men was, to build a strong fort at Old 
Point Comfort, and at this same place there is 
nowone of the strongest fortresses in the United 
States. I should have told you that when 
King Charles made his grant to Lord Balti- 
more, the Virginians complained that he had 
given away a part of their country. But in a 



130 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

little time they became satisfied, and would 
have continued so if a man, named Claiborne, 
had not acted as he did." 

'^ What did he do, Uncle Philip ?" 
"He had received from King Charles 'a 
license to trade in all those parts of America 
for which there was already no license,' and 
had settled himself at Kent Island, in the 
neighbourhood of Annapolis. The people 
of Maryland thought that he had no right to 
remain there, and told him so. Virginia 
and Maryland had just agreed to traffic 
with each other : but this man persuaded 
the Indians to fight against the people of 
Maryland. He was caught, tried for mur- 
der, and found guilty ; but made his escape 
and came to Virginia. He thought that Gov- 
ernor Hervey would protect him: but the 
people watched the governor so closely that 
when Lord Baltimore's people demanded Clai- 
borne, that they might hang him for his 
Vvrickedness, he said that he could not give 
him up without permission from King Charles; 
and so he sent him to England with his wit- 
nesses." 

"Well, Uncle Philip, that man ought to 
have been liung." 

" I think so too. The people were very an^ 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 131 

gry at what Hervey had done ; and early in 
the next year they openly accused him of cru- 
elty, and sent him in chains to England, with 
the witnesses against him, to answer to the 
king, his master." 

" What did the king do with him, Uncle 
Philip?" 

"He did what I think was very wrong. 
He refused to hear the men who brought him ; 
said he did not believe their story, and took 
the chains off Sir John Hervey, and sent him 
back to the colony, to be their governor." 

" Well, was that justice, sir?" 

" No ; and the king soon found that it 
would not do. He was afraid that his people 
at home would not like it; and he then sent 
out Sir William Berkeley." 

" Uncle Philip, what became of Hervey ?" 

" I cannot say ; but one thing I know, my 
children, his conduct made so much difficulty 
at home, that the people were all disturbed, 
and the Indians found this a good time for 
them to make war." 

" Uncle Philip, they did nothing but fight." 

" Nothing else, as long as Opecanchanough 
lived. He had moved to the head of York 
River, and was living there in the midst of 



132 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

Ilis poo])lo, wlieii he began this war. He sent 
word to all the tribes along Chesapeake Bay^ 
and they again murdered all the white men 
that they conld find. In the neighbourhood 
where the chief lived, almost every white 
man, woman, and child was killed. He spared 
nobody ; and wliat makes it worse is, that a 
little time before this, Thomas Rolfe (Poca- 
hontas's little boy), had visited his kinsman 
Opecanchanough, and the Indian had told 
him how much he loved the white people." 
'• Uncle Philip; he never told the truth ; did 

he r 

"Sometimes, I hope; though, like many 
others, he often deceived people. I wish that 
nobody told falsehoods but the Indians. The 
colony lost this time five hundred persons. 
Besides this, many were carried into captivity. 
They burnt the houses of the white men, 
their farming instruments, and every thing 
else which was necessary to make them 
comfortable." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, if I had been one of 
the white men, after this I should have 
desired to get back to England, and remain." 

" Well, rny lads, many did desire it, and 
would have gone, but for Sir William 
Berkelev. As soon as this bloody murder 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 133 

was over, he ordered every man who could 
bear arms to join the militia ; and then 
chose some of the bravest of his men, and 
marched with them into the enemy's coun- 
try. When Sir William met the Indians, he 
found Opecanchanough at their head. But 
how do you think this old Indian led on his 
men?" 

" How, Uncle Philip ?" 
" He was so old that he could not walk ; 
but he caused some of his men to carry him in 
a litter, that he might command in the battle. 
While the men were fighting he became very 
weary, and his eyelids were so heavy that he 
could not see unless his men hfted them up 
for him." 

" Well, this was a brave man, sir." 
" Indeed he was. The old man continued 
to give his orders, even when his eyes were 
shut. But this was the last battle that he ever 
fought : for Sir William Berkeley, who watched 
his opportunity, suddenly surprised him and 
took him prisoner." 

« Took him at last. Uncle Philip?" 
" Yes : took him, and carried him to James- 
town. Come early to-morrow morning, and 
we will find out what became of him." 

M 



I3i CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION XIII. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children how Opecan- 
chanoiigh was killed — About King Charles 
the First and Cromioell — Hoio Virginia 
supports the King — Surrenders to the 
Commonwealth — Proclaims Charles the 
Second^ King — W. Berkeley Governor — 
Intended Massacre of the ISth of September. 

'' Now, Uncle Philip, tell us if you please, 
what they did with Opecanchanoiigh.'^ 

" I am glad to be able to tell you of the 
kindness of the white men towards this un- 
fortunate old captive. Governor Berkeley 
was particularly kind to him ; and when he 
reached Jamestown, every man there seemed 
anxious to be kind to him, and please him." 

" Uncle Philip, I pity the poor old man." 

" Yes, it was a sad sight to see such an old 
man a prisoner ; but he would not have 
thanked either you or me for pity ; for he was 



HISTORY OP VIRGINIA. 135 

very proud. Hre was so anxious to make his 
enemies believe that he did not feeJ, that he 
never uttered a complaint, and would not per- 
mit anyone to raise his eyelids, because he 
said, they would think that he was anxious 
to know what they were doing ; and he did 
not wish them to suppose that he thouglit 
about them at all." 

"Well, did the white men put him in 
prison ?" 

" Yes ; and he was so much beloved by his 
countrymen, that several Indians entreated 
that they might wait upon him ; and if he 
was to be killed, that they might die with him." 

" Uncle Philip, how old was he ?" 

" Just one hundred years : but let me tell 
you all about him. As he was sitting up one 
morning in his prison, a soldier who was 
placed on duty to guard him shot him in 
the back. He fell, and begged that his eye- 
lids might be raised. As soon as he saw the 
crowd that gathered around him to see him 
die, he sent for the governor. Sir William 
came immediately; and the old man then 
raised himself from the earth, looked sternly 
at him, and said, ^Had it been my fortune to 



136 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

have taken Sir William Berkeley prisoner, 
I would not meanly have exposed him as a 
show to tny peopled 

" After the death of Opecanchanough, the 
Powhatan confederacy was divided." 

" What do you mean by that, Uncle 
Philip V 

"I mean that the thirty tribes that were 
joined together to fight the EngHsh were di- 
vided. Governor Berkeley found this a favour- 
able time to make peace with nearly all of 
them : and then commenced improving the 
colony. And now I shall have to carry you 
a little into the history of England about this 
time, in order that you may understand me. 
Do you know who was King of England 
then ?" 

" Charles the First, you said. Uncle Philip." 

" Yes ; and he was any thing but a happy 
king. He thought that the king had, and 
ought to have, a great deal of power ; and 
when his parliament opposed him, he quar- 
relled with the members. Just at this time a 
man named Oliver Cromwell, of very low 
birth, began to place himself among the king's 
enemies, and in a little while became their 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 137 

leader. He was a very ambitions man, and 
he was determined to work himself into some 
high place, no matter how he reached it. He 
succeeded at last in getting the command of 
the army ; and the king was brought to trial, 
and condemned to die on the scaffold. The 
people in England divided themselves into two 
parties— one called the Cavaliers, and the 
other the Roundheads. The Cavalier party 
supported the king, and the Roundheads were 
in favour of the parliament." 

" Uncle Philip, what do these names mean?" 
" The Cavaliers were so called from their 
being generally mounted on horseback, and 
the Roundheads from their short-cropped 
hair. There was a long war between the 
king and parliament; and Virginia had to 
side with one party or the other." 

" Uncle Philip, which did she support?" 
" She stood by the king, until he was exe- 
cuted. Many of the Cavaliers came to Vir- 
ginia, and told the colonists of the sufferings 
of the king and his family ; and for some time 
the colony refused to submit to the parliament. 
After Charles was beheaded, Cromwell became 
what was called the Protector of the Com- 
monwealth. Virginia refused to own his 
IVI2 



138 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

authority ; and he sent a body of men under 
Sir G. Aiskew to force her into submission. 
Sir Wilham Berkeley was a warm friend to 
King Charles, and made ready for opposition. 
It so happened that some Dutch ships were 
trading at Jamestown when the troops of the 
commonwealth arrived, and the governor 
pressed them into his service." 

" You mean forced them to help him, Un- 
cle Philip?" 

" Yes ; but the Dutch did not require much 
forcing. They were trading with Jamestown, 
and the parliament had just passed a law 
against any country's trading with the colony. 
So you perceive they had to aid the Virginians, 
in order that Cromwell's troops might not 
take them prisoners. Sir G. Aiskew was sur- 
prised when he sent a message to the town 
commanding them to surrender, to get for 
answer that they would do no such thing, and 
that he might do as he pleased." 

" Uncle Philip, I like Sir William Berke- 
ley." 

" And so do I ; for he was a brave man and 
a good governor. But, after all the prepara- 
tion, there was no battle. The troops of the 
commonwealth were frightened; and their 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 139 

commander thought it was best to make terms 
of peace. So Virginia surrendered upon her 
own terms." 

" Uncle Philip, what became of the Dutch 
ships ?" 

" The governor took care of them. By his 
articles of agreement he protected Virginia 
and every person who had assisted her in 
her opposition. So he sent the Dutch 
ships home. After this, Sir William Berke- 
ley, not liking the new order of things, went 
to his plantation in the country, there to re- 
main until an opportunity was offered for car- 
rying his property away from Virginia." 

" Then was Sir G. Aiskew governor, Uncle 
Philip?" 

"No: the country then was managed for a 
while by those who were called Commissioners 
of Parliament ; but in a little time they chose 
Richard Bennet to be governor for one year, 
until they should hear from England. It was 
while this man was governor that the Vir- 
ginia Assembly passed a law, which showed 
the kindness of the white men towards the 
poor Indians." 

" Uncle Philip, what was the law ? I am 
glad of that." 



140 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" The white men were coming to the coun- 
try so fast that the Indians were driven from 
their homes, and the Assembly then said that 
Totopotomoi, the chief who succeeded Ope- 
canchanough, should have such lands for him- 
self and his people as he should choose on 
York River." 

" Uncle Philip, this was very kind, for these 
Indians had done much injury to the colony." 

" Yes ; and it made Totopotomoi a friend 
to the whites for life : for afterward, when 
some of the Indians came upon the colony, 
this chief fought for the white men, and lost 
his life in the battle." 

" Uncle Philip, I have heard that the white 
men drove the Indians out of their own coun- 
try." 

" So they did, in some parts of the country : 
but when the people of Virginia found that some 
of the Indians continued constantly to make 
war upon them, the Assembly sent some of the 
white men to buy their land from them, so 
that they might go elsewhere. Some men 
were so base as to cheat the Indians out 
of their land, until the Assembly made an- 
other law, saying that no sale of land be- 
tween a white man and an Indian should take 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 141 

place, unless by the consent of the Assembly. 
This law was made purposely to prevent the 
cheating of the Indians. Sir Edward Digges 
was the next governor ; and the people were 
very much pleased with him : and you remem- 
ber that man named Claiborne of whom we 
talked ?" 

" Yes. sir." 

" Well, he came back to the country, and 
began to make more mischief. He went into 
Maryland, and persecuted the Roman Catho- 
lics about their religion. The Protector heard 
of this, and sent word to the Governor of 
Virginia to mind his own concerns, and let 
other people alone. And it so happened that 
some of the people fled from Maryland, and 
took refuge in Virginia. Claiborne sent work 
to England that the Virginians were support 
ing Lord Baltimore, against the wishes of 
most of the people. Then the Virginians sent 
Sir Edward Digges with Mr. Bennet to Eng- 
land, to let Cromwell know the truth." 

" Uncle Philip, that Claiborne was a wicked 
man." ^ 

" A very base man, my young friends. Sir 
William Berkeley was still at his house 
in the country, waiting for a ship to carry 



142 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

him home. I have heard it said that Crom- 
well made cruel laws about the trade of Vir- 
ginia ; and I have seen it contradicted in 
books. At any rate, the people were dissatis- 
fied from some cause or other, and went to 
Sir William Berkeley's house in the country, 
and proclaimed him their governor. He re- 
fused at first to act ; but when they said that 
they would serve Cromwell no longer, and 
boldly proclaimed Charles the Second King of 
England, he consented. So the Virginians 
were the first people who proclaimed the new 
king.^' 

" Well, Uncle Philip, what became of Crom- 
well r 

" He died, after he had been Protector for 
five years. He pretended to be very religious 
before his death ; and 1 hope he was so. This 
was a very bold step by the people of Virginia ; 
and they were waiting to know what was to 
be done, when the news reached them that 
Charles the Second had been proclaimed king 
in England. One of the first things that the 
new king did was to send a new commission 
to Sir William Berkeley as governor." 

" Well, Uncle Philip that was good news." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 143 

" Yes. The governor went to England to 
see the king; and Charles then told him what 
to do. He caused laws to be made by which 
he forgave all the people of Virginia, except 
those who were concerned in killing his father. 
He told Sir William that the people must 
make something else besides tobacco there. 
He wished them to make flax, and pitch, and 
hemp, — but, more than all-, he wished them 
to manufacture silk, I should have told 
you before, that the Virginians had made a 
little silk, and sent a piece as a present to the 
king. It was made into a robe, and Charles 
wore it at his coronation." 

" What does coronation mean, sir ?" 
" I mean that he wore this robe of Virginia 
silk when he was crowned king : and he told 
the governor that he had worn some of their 
silk, and he desired them to make more of it. 
About the last of the year Governor Berkeley 
came home, and built him a large house in 
Jamestown ; and in a little while several of 
.the people followed his example." 
"What year was it, Uncle Philip?" 
" In 1663. It was in this year also that the 
Quakers began to settle in Maryland and Vir- 



144 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

ginia. Lord Baltimore's people treated them 
very kindly ; but in Virginia the people were 
not at all disposed to be friendly to them." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, let me interrupt you. 
I wish you to tell me why it was that some 
of these kins^s hated tobacco so much ?" 

" They thought that the colonies planted too 
much : and they thought right ; for once or 
twice the people were near starving for the 
want of grain. There was a special law 
made while Sir W. Berkeley was governor, 
that no tobacco should be planted foi one 
year. This did not please the people ; they 
said that King Charles was a hard master, 
and did not treat them as well as they had 
treated him ; and that they had much easier 
times under Cromwell. At length some of the 
old soldiers who had served under Cromwell, 
and who came to Virginia after his death, be- 
gan to talk about an insurrection. They 
found a great many ready to join them ; and 
formed their plot, and managed every thing 
so secretly, that it was not discovered until the 
night before it was to have been executed." 

" How was it found out. Uncle Philip?" 

" A poor miserable wretch, named Berk- 
enhead, one of their party, was frightened, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 145 

and laid the whole plot before the gov- 
ernor. He immediately sent orders to the 
militia to go to the spot where the conspira- 
tors were to meet, and to seize them as they 
arrived. The order was obeyed. Many were 
taken prisoners, but some escaped." 

" What was done then. Uncle Phihp ?" 

" The o^overnor had some of them hung ; 
and shortly after, when the Assembly met, 
they returned thanks for their escape from the 
plot of the 13th of September, as it was called, 
and voted that Berkenhead should be set free, 
and have five thousand weight of tobacco as 
a reward for his faithful conduct." 

" ' Uvfaithfid^' I think those men that were 
hung would have said." 

" Yes, my lads ; but he was faithful to the 
country, and saved it. However, I look upon 
Iiim as a base wretch, for having had any 
thing to do with such wickedness. And now 
I think my young companions must be tired ; 
so I bid you good evening." 
N 



116 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION XIV. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about GoV" 
ernor Berkeleifs Troubles^ and about Na- 
thaniel Bacon^s Rebellion. 

" Well, children, we have talked a great 
deal about the Assembly : where do you sup- 
pose it was in the habit of meeting T 

" In some house, Uncle Philip." 

" Yes ; in the tavern at Jamestown. This, 
you know, was inconvenient ; and only think, 
the people in Virginia had been more than 
fifty years without any house in which to 
hold public meetings ; for it was not until the 
year 1664 that they thought of building a 
State-house." 

" Is that what you call a public house. Un- 
cle Philip?" 

"A state-house is one that is made for the 
public to do state business in. Did I tell you 
any thing about Colonel John Washington ?** 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 147 

" No, Uncle Philip ; was that General 
Washington's father ?" 

" His great-grandfather ; and that is the 
reason why I asked you the question : for I 
think that every American child ought to know 
something of General Washington. But all I 
wish you to remember now is, that Colonel 
John Washington was his ancestor ; and that 
he came from the north of England, and set- 
tled in Virginia about this time." 

" But what sort of a man was he, sir ?" 
" A very good and respectable man. He 
was a land-suiveyor, and understood his busi- 
ness very well." 

" Who was governor now, sir ?'* 
" Indeed, my lad, you must think, and re- 
member ; 1 wish to have no inattentive boy 
about me. Was it not Sir William Berke- 
ley? You should remember him; for he 
was Governor of Virginia for more than thirty 
years, and spent much of his own money for 
the good of the state. The people, too, were 
all attached to him, — though I have heard it 
said that he was a proud, hanghty man ; 
but I suppose it was merely because he loved 
the king. You know I told you yesterday 



148 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

that tlie people were displeased with King 
Charles. I will tell you now of another cause 
of complaint. Do any of you know the 
meaning of the words jwll-tax ?" 

" No, sir." 

" It is a tax that is laid upon a man's head : 
hat is, a man pays so much a year for the 
right of living in a certain community. Every 
man in Virginia was taxed in this way, and 
paid the same tax, whether he was rich or 
poor." 

" Was this fair, sir ?" 

« Why not ?" 

" The rich ought to have paid the most, I 
think." 

" Yes : and that was what they complained 
of. They said that the man who had five 
hundred dollars' worth of property ought to 
piiy more for having that property protected 
than the man who had but one hundred dol- 
lars' worth. They wished, you see, to tax the 
jrroperty^ and not every man's head. Do you 
understand me?" 

" I do, sir." 

" I am afraid the smallest children do not; 
but you will, perhaps, when you are a little 
older. Well, the people complained of this; 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 140 

and they said very plainly that Charles did 
not treat them well ; and everybody was mur- 
muring again. The governor endeavoured 
to keep them quiet, by employing them ; and 
it is a very good plan ; for when I was a small 
boy, my faJ;her often told me that ' an idle 
mind was the devil's work-shop.' It is always 
best to be busy. So, Sir William sent some 
of his men to explore the co4.mtry of the In- 
dians ; and when they came back, he deter- 
mined to go himself; but the clamour was so 
great that he could not leave home. As the 
governor was now quite old, and affairs had 
for some time been getting worse, the court 
of England sent over Sir H. Chicherly, to be 
lieutenant-governor and general of the colony. 
Matters still went on badly, and the people 
soon found an excuse for showing themselves 
in open rebellion. The Indians, although 
many of the tribes lived at a distance, were in 
the habit of trafficking with the people of Vir- 
ginia. The English had taken possession of 
Monadas, as it v\^as then called. It is now 
Manhattan Island ; and they were anxious to 
have all this trade to themselves. They 
therefore persuaded the Indians to traffic with 
them ; told them that the Virgfinians were 



150 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

their enemies, and tliat they desired nothing 
but the power to destroy all their race. This, 
of course, provoked the Indians ; and all along 
the frontier of Virginia, as the trading savages 
passed by, they made furious attacks ; and 
they always ended in spilling the blood of 
many white men ; who made this an excuse 
for taking up arms at first against the Indians, 
as they said, — and, as it turned out, against 
their own countrymen also." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, did they take up arms 
against their own countrymen ?" 

" The truth is, that they hated King Charles's 
government, and they were determined to 
oppose it as soon as the least excuse was af- 
forded for beginning. They heard every day 
more news about the Indian murders, and 
every day made them more and more dissatis- 
fied. When the first excitement was over, 
they began to look about for some man to be 
their leader. There was a young man in 
Virginia, at this time, of very handsome ap- 
pearance, well educated, and who was thought 
to be very promising by everybody." 

"Of course th'ey chose him, Uncle Philip 
what was his name ?" 

" Nathaniel Bacon. They selected him for 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 151 

their commander. He was educated a lawyer, 
and knew how to speak very well in public. 
So, when the people chose him, he immedi- 
ately called them all together, and made a 
lon^ speech to them, telling them of all thei) 
suiferings." 

" Pray tell us something that he said, sir." 
" He told them that the king would not let 
them cultivate tobacco — that he taxed the poor 
as much as the rich — that he took away lands 
in Virginia from the old settlers to give to his 
favourites, and that he made them build and 
keep a great many forts which were perfectly 
useless. Then he said he was determined to 
resist such a government, and he hoped that 
they would promise to help him as much as 
they could. The people all shouted, and 
promised that they would never desert their 
leader. Then he sent a messenger to Gover- 
nor Berkeley, to let him know what the 
people were doing, and told him that they 
had made him their leader, and that he 
wished him to confirm their choice. Sir 
William knew that the excitement was very 
great, and he did not therefore refuse to do it, 
but sent word to Mr. Bacon that he could not 
decide on so great a matter without calling 



152 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

his council together, and he promised to do 
this at once, and then send their answer to 
him." 

" Uncle Philip, that should have satisfied 
him." 

"But it did not ; for as soon as he got this 
answer he started with a body of six hundred 
men against the Indian tribes, and he sent 
three or four messengers to hurry the gov- 
ernor in getting the answer from the council. 
But Sir William Berkeley was an old Cava- 
lier : he loved his king, and he hated rebels. 
So he sent word this time, that he would 
not consent that Mr. Bacon should be the 
leader of the people, and that if he and his 
followers did not lay aside their arms immedi- 
ately, he would publish them as traitors. 
But the old governor did not stop here. He 
called together some of the few who were in 
favour of the government, and started in pur- 
suit of the rebels. He had barely reached the 
falls of James River when he heard that all 
the neighbourhood of Jamestown had risen in 
arms against him ; so he faced about and went 
back as fast as he could to defend his capital." 

" But, Uncle Philip, I thought that every- 
body liked Sir William Berkeley." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 153 

" So they did at first, and he had now some 
sincere friends : but you know that the best 
man sometimes has his enemies. Frequently, 
when a man is a great favourite with the 
people, some individual, who envies him, 
and wishes to be a great man himself, goes 
among the people, and talks to them, until 
they very often hate the very same man that 
they before loved." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I believe that is true." 

" I know it is. And remember what I tell 
you now : envy is one of the basest feelings 
that a man can have. You all know what 
envy means T 

" Yes, sir. It means to hate another be- 
cause he is doing better than we are." 
' " Yes ; and to be willing to pull him down, 
that we may rise in his place. This is 
base, and I hope that none of my young 
friends who are now near me will ever be 
envious of anybody. Thank God for what 
you have, and never hate another for having 
more than you ; it is too selfish. And now 
let us go on with our story. When the gov- 
ernor reached Jamestown, he found that his 
authority, which the people had obeyed for 
thirty years, was worth nothing. The people 



154 CONVERSATIONS. 

there had risen, under two men, named In- 
gram and Walklate, and were doing what- 
ever these men commanded. They soon 
made the governor dissolve the Assembly, 
which was then sitting, and said that new 
members should be elected : and when the 
new election came on, Bacon was sent a 
member from Henrico County. But Bacon 
was now marching against the Indians. 
He burnt some of their towns, and took 
a great number of captives. He was re- 
turning slowly, in a sort of triumph, with 
his Indian prisoners placed in the middle of his 
army, when the news reached him of the 
revolution at Jamestown. He thought that 
this was his time, for if he could get to the 
capital he would make the governor say' 
that he Avas no rebel, and pardon him, if 
necessary. So he left his army, got into a 
sloop with forty men, and sailed down the 
river towards Jamestown. But the river 
was at this time full of English ships looking 
out for him. As soon as the sloop came in 
sight, one of the ships, commanded by Captain 
Gardiner set sail, in order to cut her off from 
the land. The men in the sloop did all they 
could to make their escape, and Bacon got 



mSTORY OF VIRGINIA. 157 

into a small boat, and was trying hard to 
reach the land, when he was caught by- 
Gardiner, and sent a prisoner to Jamestown." 

"And I suppose he was hung. Uncle 
Philip r 

" No> vou are wrong. The governor, find- 
ing the people so much disposed to go on iu 
their rebellion, thought that he would make 
Bacon and all his followers friends to the 
government if he should pardon him and let 
him take his seat in the council." 

" So he pardoned him, sir?" 

"Yes: and you will see now how his kind- 
ness was returned. Bacon, in a little while, 
left the town and joined his army again. He 
then told them of all that he had suffered, and 
requested that they would assist him to de- 
stroy a government so wicked. The people 
could hardly wait until he had finished talking 
before they entreated him to lead them to 
Jamestown. Bacon started immediately, 
marched all night, and early on the next day 
went into Jamestown, He made his army 
halt in front of the state-house and sent a 
message to the Assembly, where he had a 
great many friends, saying that they must 
own his authority. The members were all 
o 



158 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

alarmed. They went to the governor, and 
petitioned that he would yield to the wishes 
of the people ; but he refused. Bacon made 
threats, and the old governor at last, upon the 
earnest entreaties of the Assembly, signed the 
commission, making Bacon general of the 
colony. 

" But even this did not satisfy the people. 
They made the governor sign a letter to King 
Charles approving Bacon's conduct, and say- 
ing that he was a very good and useful man 
to the colony. After this, Bacon marched 
towards the frontier, and left the governor to 
get along as well as he could." 

" Well, that was a hard case, Uncle Philip." 
" Indeed it was ; and I never think of Sir 
William Berkeley, old and infirm, with all 
these troubles crowding upon him, without 
feeling sorry for him. After he signed that 
letter to the king, he thought he was disgraced, 
and he was determined to publish to the world 
that he did not willingly sign it, but was 
forced to do so. But he could not do this 
until he had more friends around him. 
He determined to leave Jamestown, but he 
did not know where to go, for almost all 
the country was in arms against him. But 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 159 

there was one part of Virginia which still loved 
the king. The people of Gloucester County- 
sent an invitation to the governor, in the 
midst of his troubles, to come and live with 
them, and they promised to protect him. As 
soon as he arrived he published Bacon as a 
traitor again. When Bacon heard this, he 
went after the governor. The old man had 
raised his standard, but when he found that 
he had so few friends he was unwilling that 
they should expose their lives to certain death, 
and he fled to Accomac." 

"Well, Uncle Philip, the people in Glou- 
ster County did not keep their promise." 

" Yes they did, as far as they could ; but 
they were unable to protect him. They did 
their best to aid him. So now, my lads, we 
will leave the governor at Accomac, and 
stop." 

" Good-night, Uncle Philip." 

"Good-night, children. I wish you all 
a pleasant sleep." 

" Thank you, sir," ' 



IbO CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION XV. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children more about 
Bacon^s Rebellion — Burning of Jamestown^ 
and Bacon's Death. 

" We left tlie governor, in what place ?" 

"In Accomac, sir." 

" Do you see it on the map ?" 

" There it is, Uncle Philip, on the eastern 
side of the bay." 

" When Sir William Berkeley reached this 
place, he found that he had about twenty 
friends with him ; but fortunately Bacon did 
not pursue him. Accomac, you must know, 
was subject to the laws of Virginia, though it 
was looked upon as a distinct territory. Bacon 
tlien called the people together, said that their 
governor had deserted them, and that they 
ought to elect some new man to serve them." 

"And I suppose, Uncle Philip, that he 
wished to be that man ?" 

*' Yes : and let me tell vou how he sua- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 161 

ceeded. The people met in convention, and 
resolved that this man. Bacon, should be 
their general until they should hear from 
England ; and they promised to support him 
in whatever he did. When Bacon first 
marched against the Indians, you know, he 
took a great many prisoners. As soon as he 
left them, however, to go against the whites, 
the savages rose in a body, and made horrible 
destruction. This not only frightened the 
white men, but made them anxious for a 
second attack upon the Indians. So soon, 
then, as Bacon was made their general, he 
knew that everybody was watching him to 
see what he would do. So he started against 
the Pamunkies and Chickahominies, burnt 
their towns and all their corn : but these 
tribes did not oppose him at first, for they 
had laid a deep plan to make him their pris- 
oner." 

"What was it. Uncle Philip?" 

" They were much better acquainted with 
the country than he was, and they retreated 
before him, hoping to get him as far as the 
falls of James River, where a large num- 
ber of Indian warriors had collected to seize 
him." 

o2 



162 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

"And did they seize him, sir 7" 

" No. After lie had pursued them on their 
retreat for some time, they came at last to a 
small stream, and on the side of a hill that 
overlooked it, a great many savages were 
waiting for him ; and they had built a fort 
there, in which all their old men, women, and 
children were placed for security. Bacon 
rushed with his men up the hill, broke into 
the fort, and murdered so many that the blood 
ran down into the water from the top of the 
hill, until the stream was almost as red as 
the blood itself" 

"Oh, Uncle Philip, that was horrible. I 
never heard such a dreadful tinner." 

" But it is true ; and that battle is now 
known by the name of ' The Battle oi Bloody 
Man J It was only about two miles from Ba- 
con's plantation." 

''Well. Uncle Philip, if I had been Mr. 
Berkeley, I would have returned to England.'* 

" No, my children : he remained, hoping 
for better times ; hut the people of Accomac 
treated him badly. They, after a little time, 
began to complain against King Charles, and 
of course against his governor, Mr. Berkeley. 
This was another hard case ; for the governor 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 163 

had thought that he was at least safe in this 
corner. But this was not all that was done ; 
for there was one man who endeavoured to 
surprise the governor at Accomac, and carry 
him away. His name was Giles Bland. He 
privately put a number of armed men on 
board a ship which he had seized and taken 
from Captain Larimore, its commander^ and 
took along with him one or two other vessels, 
and sailed, as he said, to cut off the supplies 
which were going to the governor. This was 
a story that seemed likely enough to be true ; 
for Bacon had before this declared that all 
vessels which should be found carrying pro- 
visions to his enemies might be taken as law- 
ful prizes." 

" Uncle Philip, what do you mean by law- 
ful prizes ?" 

" When we seize and take possession of any 
thing which the law allows us to seize, then 
it is a lawful prize." 

." That is plain now, sir." 

" Very good : you know that Bland's object 
was to take the governor, and not to cut off 
the supplies. Beforehand, however. Captain 
Larimore sent word to Mr. Berkeley that if he 
would despatch a brave officer, with brave 



104 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

soldiers, who would put liini in possession of 
his ship, that all the rest of the vessels might 
easily be taken. The governor did not know 
what to do. He had but few friends ; and 
he began to compare his present situation 
with what it had been formerly, and he felt it 
deeply." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I would have gone, if 
I had not found more than twelve men to go 
with me." 

" You do not know that, my lad. No man 
knows how he would act until he is tried. 
Many a one has thought himself brave, until 
he came in the way of danger ; and many an- 
other has boasted that he would always do his 
duty, until something happens so that he does 
not know what his duty is. So you cannot 
say what any one of you would have done, 
with certainty." 

"Well, Uncle Philip, tell us what Mr. 
Berkeley did." 

" He did nothing at first, and would have 
done nothing at all, had it not been for one 
of his friends. Philip Ludwell was a friend 
to King Charles, and he told the governor that 
he would arrange the business for him. He 
chose twenty good men, and placed them at 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 165 

midnight on board of two boats. Larimore 
fixed his signal, and the two boats were along- 
side of the ship before Bland's men knew any- 
thing about it. They were all asleep in the 
ship ; so that the twenty men took immediate 
possession, not only of that ship, but of the 
whole squadron." 

*' What does that last word mean. Uncle 
Philip ?" 

" The whole squadron means all the vessels 
that were sailing together. As soon as Mr. 
Berkeley heard of Ludwell's success, he col- 
lected six hundred men, and waited till the 
ship should come to him." 

" As many as six hundred, Uncle Philip ?" 

" Yes, boys : surely you understand that. 
Suppose any one of you were in trouble to- 
morrow ; do you think that you would find 
as many friends as you do now? The man 
who is in sorrow will find his Maker his best, 
and sometimes his only friend ; for whether 
you are happy or miserable, God will not for- 
get you. But let me go on. Bacon was now 
absent on his Indian expedition with the 
greater part of his men ; so that Jamestown 
was left unprotected ; and the governor landed 



166 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

there with his six hundred men without any 
trouble, and found himself again master of his 
capital." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, I am glad of that." 
" The first thing that Sir William did was to 
declare to the people that whatever he had 
done in favour of Bacon was done because 
he was forced to do it. He said, again, that 
he was a rebel, and should be punished as a 
traitor. He then arranged every thing as 
nearly as he could in the old way, and sta- 
tioned his men at short distances throughout 
the country, — so that he might easily call 
them to his assistance if necessary. 

'^ Bacon was on his return, with his Indian 
captives, when he heard of the misfortune of 
his friend Bland ; and in a few days he heard 
also of the taking of Jamestown. He was not 
discouraged even at this time. He marched 
on as rapidly as possible towards the town. 
The rebels reached Jamestown just as the 
sun was setting, and Bacon immediately or- 
dered a cannon to be fired, and a trumpet to 
be sounded, in token of defiance. He then 
kept his men busy until midnight, raising a 
breastwork for their defence ; and behind this, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 167 

they were able to lie down and rest, — for they 
had made a very rapid march. Early on the 
next morning Bacon sent some of his men 
to discover whether the governor's force was 
a strong one ; but these men were not satisfied 
with skirmishing about the governor's lines 
They fired several times at his guard, and 
after offering a great many insults, they had 
the good fortune to return without losing any 
of their number." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, the governor with six 
hundred men might have driven them all 
back." 

" So he thought ; and he brought out all his 
men to the attack, — but Bacon's followers kept 
up such a steady fire from behind their breast- 
work, that the governor's men ran away, and 
disgraced themselves." 

" Did Sir William run too, sir ?" 

"No, none of the officers fled. They en 
treated the men to halt ; but it was all to no 
purpose — they did not stop until they were out 
of danger. Sir William then told them that 
he v/as determined to defend his capital as 
long as he lived, and hoped that they would 
stand by him. And how do you think they 
acted ? They thought that he was half-crazy 



168 CONVERSATIONS. 

— that he did not care for his own life ; and 
they told him at once that they would not re- 
main with him — at least most of them did. 
Twenty only promised to stand by him ; but 
these at lust became frightened. They per- 
suaded him to retire ; told him ' that he could 
not fight with advantage, or die with honour.' 
The poor old man at last said that he would 
leave the town. He sent word to the command- 
ers of the vessels on the river to haul in closer 
to the land, and have their boats ready to start 
at a given signal. In the mean time, in order to 
keep Bacon from making an attack, the gov- 
ernor induced him to believe that he was ready 
for him ; and at midnight the loyalists went 
on board the boats, silently dropped down the 
stream, and came to an anchor before day, at a 
sufficient distance from th^guns on shore," 

" Uncle Philip, I wish not to interrupt 
you ; but will you tell me what you mean by 
loyalist?" 

" One who is faithful to the king and his 
government. As soon as it was light enough 
to see on the next morning, Bacon found that 
the governor had departed ; and he marched 
directly into the town. He saw nothing but 
empty walls, — not one man was to be seen. 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 171 

Every thing that was valuable was carried 
away ; and whatever was too heavy to be 
carried the men had thrown into the river. 
The ships lay off at a distance, out of the 
reach of the cannons, ready to return as soon 
as the rebels left the town. Bacon was of 
course disappointed: he had laboured hard 
for a week to take the place ; and when he 
had made himself master of it, it was worth 
nothing. And novv^, what do you suppose he 
did?" 

"What, Uncle Philip?" 

" He determined that, as Jamestown was 
worth nothing to him, it should be worth no- 
thing to his enemies. He commanded his 
men to prepare torches ; and he himself led 
the way, in setting fire to the town : and 
in a little time the church, the State-house, 
and all the other buildings were wrapped in 
flames." 

" Oh, Uncle Philip ! Did the people in the 
boats see the fire ?" 

" Yes, my lads ; and when they found that 
there was no hope of their returning to James- 
town, they sailed towards the territory of Ac- 
comac ; and Bacon dismissed all his men, and 
told them to be ready to help him at the short- 



172 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

est notice. Governor Berkeley had sent to 
England some time before this, to beg that 
troops might be despatched to him ; and this 
again made Bacon uneasy. He was daily ex- 
pecting their arrival, — and this forced him to 
call out his men once more. He placed them 
at their different stations, began to drill them 
regularly, and made them all willing and anx- 
ious to fight under so bold a leader, — for they 
all knew that he was a brave man. But he 
took violent cold in the trenches at James- 
town ; and this, together with his labours and 
watchings, made him very sick. Still he kept 
on with his work, determined that, if he could 
prevent it, his plans should not be defeated. 
But he was not strong enough to go through 
with it. He died in Gloucester County, at the 
house of Dr. Pate ; and I have heard it said 
that Sir William Berkeley endeavoured to get 
his body after his death, — but that Bacon's 
frierids hid it." 

" What did he wish to do with it, Uncle 
PhiHp?" 

" He wished to hang it up, and expose it, as 
the body of a traitor : so it is said, — but I do 
not know that we ought to believe this story ; 
at any rate, I have never seen any proof that 
it is true." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. ' 173 



CONVERSATION XVI. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about JSir 
William Berkeley'' s Return to England ; 
and his Death — Where the Six Nations 
lived — Lord Culpepper Governor} and 
after him LordHoxoard — Hoxo a Man hythe 
Name of Beverly is persecuted hy the Gov- 
ernor. 

" Well, Uncle Philip, what became of the 
rebels after General Bacon's death ?" 

" They endeavoured at first to continue in 
their rebellion, and began to look about for 
another leader ; but they :oon found that nei- 
ther Ingram nor Walklate. nor any of the 
rest of them, could do what Bacon had done ; 
and they then proposed making peace. This 
pleased the governor, and he made terms with 
them at once. He promised to forgive them 
all their offences, and they were to give up all 
their arms, and to restore all the plunder that 
they had taken in the course of the war. But 
p2 



174 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

the fact was, that everybody was so anxious to 
have peace, that they thought but httle about 
the terms. They had been in a long and 
bloody war, and they were tired of it. But in 
a httle time the people were suffering quite as 
much as they did in the war. 1 sincerely re- 
gret that Governor Berkeley did not keep his 
promise to forgive them. In all parts of the 
country executions were going on, — and the 
plantations of the rebels were taken from them. 
People were fined : and when the governor 
found that the judges would not condemn all 
the rebels that were brought to trial, he went 
to the court-houses himself, to frighten them 
into his wishes. The jails were crowded with 
prisoners, waiting for their trials ; and the 
whole colony was very much disturbed. Just 
at this time Herbert Jeffries, who had been 
made lieutenant-governor by the king, arrived 
in Virginia, and brought with him John Berry 
and Francis Morrison, who were commission- 
ers to inquire into the state of the colony. He 
brought along, also, a regiment of regular 
troops, to put down the rebellion (for they did 
not know that it was ended). The commis- 
sioners went immediately to the governor, and 
read to him King Charles's proclamation, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA, 175 

saying that all the rebels should be pardoned 
except Nathaniel Bacon. They were sur- 
prised when they heard that so many had 
already been hung ; and requested the gov- 
ernor to stay the executions, and publish the 
king's pardon to the people, in order to satisfy 
them. The governor refused, because he said 
there were other rebels besides Bacon who 
ought to die. When the commissioners found 
that the old man was stubborn, they at once 
commenced the business for which the king 
had sent them, and opened a court to hear and 
examine the complaints of the people. Com- 
plaints of the governor's cruelty came in so 
fast that the commissioners would not hear 
them until they should send for witnesses from 
all the counties. When these came, they told 
the same stories about the governor : and the 
agents of the king then went to him, and told 
him that he ought to restore the land which 
he had taken wrongfully from the people ; and 
they read to him the opinion of Mr. Coke, a 
great lawyer in England, in which he said 
that these lands could not, and ought not, to 
be held by the governor. He refused to give 
up these lands, and said that he would appeal 
to the king." 



17d CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" What do you mean by appeal. Uncle 
Philip?" 

" That he would ask tlie king's opinion, 
and do as the kinsf said he ouorht to do. He 
was very much provoked at what he thought 
impertinence in the commissioners, and just 
at this time Giles Bland, with nine others, 
were brought out for trial before the judges. 
Mr. Berkeley then, in order to show the com- 
missioners that he did not regard them, sent 
for them to co-me to this trial, and condemned 
these prisoners before their faces." 

"And were they all hung, Uncle Phili[)?" 
"Every one of them executed: and there 
was but one thing that induced the governor 
to desist in his cruelty. The Assembly was 
then sitting, and they sent to him entreating 
that his trials and liis executions might 
cease." 

" How did he act then, sir?" 
" His pride was hurt, and he determined at 
once to leave the country. He set sail almost 
immediately with the fleet, and returned to 
England. He was anxious to o^o there, for 
he wished to justify himself before the king. 
But when he reached home, and began to 
talk wit.i the few friends that he had left, 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 177 

he found that almost everybody in England 
thought that he was a cruel tyrant ; and that 
the king, though he had not joined in con- 
demning him, had said openly that he would 
not sanction such cruelty." 

" Uncle Philip, what became of him ?" 
" He was taken sick almost as soon as he 
landed, so that he did not see the king, and 
he did not leave his chamber at all after he 
was carried into it. He died as he had lived, 
a friend to the king, for you will remember 
that he was the last man to submit to Crom- 
well, and the first to proclaim Charles *IL 
And though during the last part of his stay 
in Virginia he was cruel to the colony, yet he 
was mild and just for more than thirty years ; 
and I think he may be safely called a good 
governor to the colony. At any rate, the 
people in Virginia thought so, after he was 
dead, for the Assembly sent a message to the 
king, declaring that he had been a useful 
governor to them, and praying that Lady 
Berkeley might receive 300/., on account of 
the services of her husband. 

" After Sir William went home, Herbert Jef- 
fries was governor for a short time : and all 
that he did was to persecute Mr. Ludwell, and 



178 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

to make a peace with the Five Nations of In- 
dians, as they were called." 

'• Uncle Philip, tell ns what yon mean by 
the Five Nations ?" 

" They were five tribes that had joined 
toii^ether for their own safety. If I shonld 
.ell yon their names yon wonld not remember 
them, bnt you might remember where they 
lived. They held a tract of conntry, back of tlie 
English settlements, from the north of New- 
Etjo-land to Carolina on the south, and west- 
ward as far as the waters of the Mississippi 
Ri^er ; at least, twelve hundred miles in 
leni{th, and six hundred in breadth. You 
may perceive that they must have been dan- 
gerous enemies." 

" Well, then, Jeffries did one good thing. 
But, Uncle Philip, tell me the names of those 
tribes, if you please, and I will remember 
them, for I like Indian names." 

" The Senecas, the Mohawks, the Onon- 
dagas, the Cayugas, and the Oneidas. These 
were the five. The Tuscaroras were after- 
ward added, and then tliey were called tlie 
Six Nations. Jeffries did not live more than 
a year in Virginia, and then Sir H. Chicherly 
was left in charge until the arrival of Lord 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 179 

Culpepper, in 1679. He at once proclaimed 
to the people the king's pardon for all past 
olfences, and this made him a great favourite. 
They increased the governor's salary one 
thousand pounds ; and were so anxious to 
3how their love, that they said they were wil- 
ling to do any thing that was reasonable for 
the governor to ask, but that they would not 
do any thing by force. But the new governor 
left Virginia early in the next year, hoping that 
he might live in England quite at his ease, and 
enjoy the salary that was paid by the colony. 
And now I must go back a little, that you may 
understand me perfectly. Some time before 
Governor Berkeley's death, King Charles had 
been endeavouring to have towns built up in 
Virginia. His plan for doing this, you will 
see, when I tell you of the law that he had 
made. ' The planters were all to carry their to- 
bacco to a particular place, to put it on board 
the Eno:lish vessels, and the vessels were 
allowed to go to no other place to receive it. 
This was the law : and the king thought that 
this place for loading and unloading the vessels 
would bring people together for the purposes 
of trade, and that this would make a little 
town in the beginning, which, growing every 



180 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

day in size, would at last become a large 
city. 

" The planters did not like this ; for those 
who lived immediately upon the rivers pre- 
ferred that the vessels should come to their 
plantations to take in their loads of tobacco, 
and in this way the planter might have saved 
the expense of carrying it to market, that is, 
to the place where it was to be sold and put 
on board the vessels. This had been for 
some time a cause of dissatisfaction among 
the people, and shortly after Lord Culpepper 
departed for England, the season came on for 
shipping tobacco. 

" The captains of the vessels found that it 
was cheaper to purchase the tobacco at the 
plantations, and so they were scattered all 
along the rivers, receiving it from the diiferent 
planters. The planters who lived near the 
market-places gave information against the 
captains, and so the other planters could not 
sell their crops, because they could find no 
one to buy unless they carried the tobacco to 
market. Is this plain ?" 

" Yes, sir. But, Uncle Philip, I should like 
to know why these men informed against the 
captams of the vessels ?" 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 181 

"Because they lived near the marketing- 
place, and their land was worth more money 
if a town should be built near it ; and besides 
that, it was very little trouble to them to carry 
their tobacco to market, for the market was 
almost at their doors. 

" The people were mostly dissatisfied about 
this law, and several riots took place while 
the governor was in England : but Mr. Chich- 
erly, who was left to take care of the colony, 
succeeded in putting them down ; and in the 
midst of the troubles Lord Culpepper came 
back. The people rejoiced when they knew 
that he was again in Virginia, for they looked 
upon him as a very good man, and one who 
was a friend to them. But they were under a 
great mistake. He told them that the king 
had asked a great many questions about them, 
and was anxious that they should do well, 
and be happy. But he said that the colonists 
did not deserve as kind a master as Kinar 
Charles, for they had lately rebelled again. 
So he called them traitors, and said that the 
king had ordered him to have all those 
brought to trial who had been guilty of the 
riot. The jails were then crowded with these 
unhappy men. Many of them had been set 



182 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

free before the governor arrived, upon prom- 
ising that in future they would beiiave 
better. But Lord Culpepper caused all whom 
he found to be tried : and I wish you particu- 
larly to remember one case, of which I am 
now going to tell you. Robert Beverly was 
the clerk of the Assembly, and kept all the 
journals of their proceedings." 

" Uncle Philip, I do not understand that." 
" I mean that he kept the books in which 
-all that the Assembly had done was written 
down. The governor and his council de- 
manded the books ; and Mr. Beverly said that 
he would not give them up, because 'his 
masters (the members) were the only persons 
who liad a riffht to demand them.' He was 
then ordered to jail, but as they were afraid 
that he would not be safe on shore, he was 
placed on board a British ship that was then 
lying in the river. 

" As soon as he was a prisoner, the gov- 
ernor sent some of his men to the house, that 
they might seize the journals. But Beverly 
had taken pains to hide them ; and this pro- 
voked Lord Culpepper still more. And now 
they moved Beverly first on board of one vessel 
and then of another, until at last he had the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 183 

good fortune to make his escape. A new 
order was immediately given to the sheriff to 
put him in prison again. He was taken, and 
when he still refused to give up the journals, 
he was tried by the order of the governor, not 
only for this, but also, as the governor said, 
for breaking open public letters. I have told 
you this, that you may know something of 
the way in which Lord Culpepper governed 
the colony. He was often, too, in England, 
absent from Virginia for several months at a 
time, while he was governor, and the king 
thought it best to send another man out to 
serve in his place." 

" I think so too, Uncle Philip. Who was 
he ?" 

" Lord Howard was the man. He however 
did very much as the old governor had done. 
He continued to persecute poor Beverly, and 
at last, when his friends persuaded him very 
earnestly, he consented to beg pardon of the 
council." 

" Beverly did, sir ?" 

" Yes : he did it to please his friends, but 
he would not give up the journals ; and, in- 
deed, they knew he would refuse as often as 
they made the demand. So they said nothing 
more about it." 



1S4 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 



CONVERSATION XVII. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about the 
Peace, at Albany, with the Pive Nations- 
How the Virginians complained of Lord 
Howard — Mr, Nicholson is made Governor 
— Building of William and Mary College 
at Williamsbiirgh — Alexander Spottsicood 
Governor — Beginning of Quarrels betioeen 
England and France. 

" Well, children, I hope you are not tired 
of these stories about Virginia." 

" No, Uncle Philip, we are not tired ; and 
I wish to ask you something about the Five 
Nations of Indians of which you told us." 

" What do you wish to know, my lad ?" 

"When I went home last night, I was 
talking to my father about the stories you 
were telling us, and when I said something 
of those Indian tribes, he asked me if I knew 



HISTORY or VIRGINIA. 185 

any thing about the ^^ewce at Albany ^ and I 
did not know what he meant." 

" Well, you shall know now, for that shall be 
the first' thing that we will talk about this 
fiiorning. He meant the peace which these 
Indian tribes made with Lord Howard. You 
know where these tribes lived. The French 
who were settled in Canada persuaded these 
Indians to make an attack upon Virginia, 
until, at last, the governor found that he could 
not raise troops to defend himself and his 
people. He determined therefore that it was 
best for him to make • peace with them. So 
he went to Albany with two of his council, 
and met there the Indian sachems." 

" What, Uncle Philip, is the name ?" 

" Sachem : it means Indian chief Eight 
Mohawk, three Oneida, three Onondaga, and 
three Cayuga sachems were there. Gov- 
ernor Dongan of New- York was there too." 

"Bat, Uncle Philip, there was another 
tribe." 

" Yes ; but the Senecas had not arrived. 
When they all met. Lord Howard spoke first, 
and told them that they had broken their 
promise to live in a friendly manner, but that 
he had now come to make peace with them a 
a2 



186 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

second time. Then an old Mohawk warrior 
answered for them all, and after reproving 
the other tribes, declared that his tribe had 
not broken the peace that had been made. 
He said that ' he had come to brighten every 
link in the chain which bound the Indians 
and the white men together; and that he 
would bury the hatchet of the Five Nations in 
the earth for ever.' " 

" What did he mean by burying the hatchet, 
Uncle Philip ?" 

" He meant that there should be no more 
war between them and the white men. He 
caused each tribe to bury a hatchet in the 
ground, and Lord Howard buried his hatchet 
also ; but the old Mohawk said that he would 
not bury one for his tribe, because his people 
had not broken the first peace. Then he gave 
Lord Howard an Indian belt, that he might 
know that this treaty was to be kept sacred. 
You know Indians always give presents when 
they enter into a treaty, and the Indian belt is 
a sign of friendship and peace. Does any 
one of you know in what year this treaty was 
made ?" 

Yes, sir. My father said it was "^ the 
year 1684." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 187 

" Very good : I wish you to remember this 
for another reason too. You know we have 
been talking of King Charles II. sometimes, 
and it was not long after this that he died. 
Early in the year 1685, I think it was, and I 
should like to know what you think of this 
king." 

" I think. Uncle Philip, that he did not treat 
the Virginians well." 

" I think so too. And now you would like 
to know who was the next king of England I 
suppose." 

" Yes, sir." 

" It was James II., the brother of Charles, 
and very much like him in his treatment of 
the colony. As soon as he was proclaimed 
in England, the Virginians sent messengers 
to him, offering him the service of their lives 
and fortunes ; and he, in return, said that he 
would continue the old officers in their places, 
and that he would send them a new seal as a 
token of his regard for Virginia. But he did 
very little more than make promises to the 
people." 

" Did the people like Lord Howard, Uncle 
Philip?" 

" No : and it was no pleasure to them to 



188 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

hear that he was to be continued in. office. 
They were all tired of him, and the Assembly 
which met in the latter part of the year 1685 
sent a complaint against him to King James.' 
" What had he done, sir ?" 
"The principal complaint was, that he 
..eized individuals, put them in prison, and 
would not allow them to come out even to be 
tried. The only answer that King James 
sent to the Assembly was, that he hoped they 
would hereafter behave themselves better, and 
that he should hear no more of their irregular 
conduct. But they Avere not to be frightened 
in this way : for not long after this. Governor 
Dongan, of New- York, sent word to Virginia 
that Kinof James had ordered him to build 
forts in his province, and that all the other 
colonies were to aid in doing it. The As- 
sembly sent him word that they would not 
give him one shilling. You will take notice, 
Iso, that this was the first time that any 
one tried to unite the English colonies in 
America. And they went even farther than 
this in showinof their dislike to the king-. 
They sent Philip Ludvvell to him, to tell him 
once more of the oppressions of Lord Howard." 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 189 

" Well, what did he say this time. Uncle 
Philip?" 

" The complaints were laid -before what is 
called the privy council, which means a cer- 
tain number of men who are the king's ad- 
visers. The council said that Lord Howard 
had been cruel, but that the people of Virginia 
had been very bad subjects. However, the 
governor, finding himself in difficulty, and his 
health also declining, Sir Francis Nicholson 
was sent out to take charge of the colony as 
Lord Howard's deputy. But let me tell you 
something more about King James. He 
quarrelled with his subjects at home, and 
acted so badly, that they at last, in 1688, 
invited another man to be king over them, 
and James made his escape into France." 

" What man was it, sir ?" 

'' It was William, Prince of Orange. He 
had married King James's daughter Mary, and 
the people thought, therefore, that he had 
some right to be king. You can tell me now, 
perhaps, why the privy council listened to 
Lud well's complaints." 

" When did he carry those complaints, sir?" 

"In the year 1689." 

" Oh, then I know, Uncle Philip. It was 



190 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

not the privy council of King James, but of 
King William, which said that Lord Howard 
was a cruel governor." 

"You are right. And now we will talk 
about Mr. Nicholson. When he reached Vir- 
ginia he found the whole colony ready to 
break out into open rebellion, but he soon 
satisfied them. He proposed that they should 
have a post-office, and said that they ought to 
have a college to educate their young men : 
and he travelled through the country visiting 
the people. He then called an Assembly, to 
know what they thought about his college. 
They all agreed with Governor Nicholson 
that they needed one ; and a subscription was 
then opened. The governor signed the sub- 
scription-paper first. And in a very little time 
twenty-five hundred pounds were subscribed 
for the college, for some of the merchants in 
London assisted them. The Assembly sent a 
clergyman, named Blair, to England to get a 
charter from the king." 

" Does not that mean a right to build the 
college. Uncle Philip ?" 

" Yes. But the people did not like Nichol- 
son long; for the next year, when Sir Edmund 
Andros came as governor, they were all glad 
to see him. Sir Edmund brought the char- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 191 

ter for the college with him, collected some 
of the money, and laid the foundation of 
the building. He had not time to do much 
more, for he was recalled in a short time, and 
Mr. Nicholson was made governor again." 

" Uncle Philip, where was the college built ?" 

"At Williamsburgh. Governor Nicholson 
laid off this place in the shape of the letter W, 
and moved the seat of government here from 
Jamestown. He called it Williamsburgh after 
King William. And here he had a new state* 
house built directly opposite the college. Do 
you know the name of the college?" 

" No, sir." 

"It was called William and Mary College, 
after the King and Queen of England ; audit 
has the same name still. Mr. Blair, of whom 
we talked, was the first president of it. I wish 
you to remember that there is but one college 
in the United States older than William and 
Mary, and that is Harvard College, at Cam- 
bridge, in Massachusetts. Did you ever hear 
the name of Spottswood?" 

" No, Uncle Philip." 

" Sir Alexander Spottswood was one of the 
governors in Virginia. He had been a soldier, 
and had performed several brave acts in the 
W-'st TndieSj bof.ire he came to this connt^v 



192 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

He was a very kind friend to the Indians, 
too, for he sent a great many Indian boys to 
the college, and they learned there the Eng- 
lish language, and some of them were very 
useful men afterward. One of the first things 
that Governor Spottswood did, was to march 
with some of his men over the mountains and 
view the country. I will tell you what he 
was thinking about. 

" You know the French were living on the 
St. Lawrence Hiver, in Canada, and the coast 
of Nova Scotia, which was then called Acadia. 
They had another settlement, also, on the 
Mississippi River, and they were anxious to 
keep the way open between these two planta- 
tions. The country on the Mississippi was 
called Louisiana, and the English said that it 
belonged to them." 

" How was that. Uncle Philip ?" 
" The French claimed the country, because 
one of their own countrymen, a man named 
La Salle, discovered it. But the English said 
that the country belonged to them from the 
Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi. So Spotts- 
wood went over the mountains to find good 
places for English forts, because he was anx- 
ious to keep the Frenchmen at the south and 
those at the north from having any communi- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 193 

cation with each other. This was the gov- 
ernor's own plan : but when he sent to Eng- 
land a map, showing all the places where he 
desired forts, the people there were very much 
displeased. Spottswood was dismissed, and 
retired for some time." 

"Well, Uncle Phiiipj did the English and 
French go to war ?" 

" Not yet, my lad : but they did afterward. 
And here I must explain to you something 
about the Ohio Company, as it was calle-d. 
This was a company made for the purpose 
of trade with the Indians. Many Virginians, 
some of the people of Maryland, and some 
London merchants were in it. They had 
fixed their settlements on the Ohio River, and 
were doing very well. But this company 
did one thing which was wrong, and which 
gave them some trouble after vvard. 

"When they first went to the Ohio River, 
they drove the Indians away from the land 
without giving them any thing for it ; and 
afterward these very Indians were persuaded 
to fight against them in time of war. I told 
you that the Frenchmen were anxious to 
unite their two settlements in America. To 
do this, they began to build forts all along on 

R 



194 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

the lakes and rivers between Canada and 
the Mississippi ; and they went to the Ohio 
River and there they built one. And now we 
will stop." 



CONVERSATION XVIII. 

About George Washington — Where he loas 
horn — His first Battle — Mr, Diniuiddie 
Governor of Virginia — War between Eng 
land and France — Genei^al Braddock ar- 
rives in Virginia. 

" Good morning, good morning", Uncle 
Philip ; pray tell us something more about 
those men on the Ohio River, for I think you 
are going to say something about soldiers.'' 

'' Yes, I am ; for before we get through I 
shall talk about one of the bravest and best 
men that ever lived. 

"We were talking, you will remember, 
about the Frenchmen, who built a fort upon 
the Ohio River, and disturbed the English 
settlements there. Mr. Dinwiddie was' gov- 
ernor of Virginia now : and as many of his 
own men were disturbed, he determined to 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 195 

send a message to the commander of tlie 
French fort. For a long time he could not 
find any man that he was willing to send 
upon such business. At last, aftei looking 
about for some time, he found a young man, 
about nineteen years old, who seemed very 
anxious to go, and he was just such a man 
as the governor was anxious to find." 

" So young a man, Uncle Philip ! I think 
he should have chosen some one who was 
older." 

" Well, children, he selected this young 
man ; and who do you suppose he was ?" 

" I cannot tell, sir ; but this, I suppose, is the 
brave man you were to talk about." 

"It was George Washington, — afterward 
General Washington." 

" Indeed, sir, he was a brave man. Tell us, 
if you please, all about his going to Ohio." 

" Washington, after a very hard journey, 
reached the French fort, and delivered the 
letter from the governor. When the com- 
mander read it, he said he could give no an- 
swer to Governor Dinwiddie until he couid 
send his letter to the Governor of Canada, and 
hear what he should say ; for that he had or- 
dered him to keep the fort, and that he could 
not leave it. Washington went immediately 



196 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

back, and told the governor what the French- 
man had said. The governor then began to 
raise troops ; and he soon found as many as 
three hundred men, and gave the command 
of them to Mr. Fry, and Washington was 
made second in command. As soon as the 
Governor of Canada heard of these mihtary 
preparations, he sent word to the French com- 
mander to destroy all the British forts and 
trading-houses on the Ohio. In obedience to 
this command, the French began. They re- 
duced a fort at Logstown, as it was called, and 
carried every thing that was valuable away. 
At the same time another body of the French 
marched to a fort which the Americans had 
built on the point of land where the Ohio and 
Monongahela rivers join ; and that was also 
reduced. Washington set out to help his 
countrymen, and had not gone far when he 
met some Indians who were friendly to Vir- 
ginia; and they told him that the French 
were building a fort at the junction of the Al- 
leirhany and Monongahela rivers, and that a 
French party was coming down towards him. 
Washington took these men as guides, to show 
him where the Frenchmen were. He marched 
all night ; and early next morning came in 
sig^ht of them. They were just pitching their 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 197 

tents in the bottom of a valley. He imme- 
diately sent some of his men round upon the 
other side of the hill, which overlooked the 
French,— and they began the attack. Wash- 
ington then came upon them from the oppo- 
site side, — and every man of the French was 
taken prisoner but one. Twenty-one were 
taken, and Junonville, the leader of the. French, 
was killed. I wish you to remember this first 
battle of Washington. 

" Shortly after this, more Virginia soldiers 
came to Washington, and he started for Fort 
Du Quesne : on his way there, he met other 
Indian friends, who told him thai 'the 
French were coming as thick as pigeons in 
the woods.' He then thought tliat instead of 
trying to drive the French from the Ohio, i 
would be better for him to return and protect 
the frontier of Virginia. Besides this, his 
men had been five days without bread. He 
started to go back, and reached a place where 
he determined to stop, and which was after 
that named Fort Necessity. He had not been 
h >re long before fifteen hundred Frenchmen 
and Indians came up, commanded by DeVillier 
and immediately commenced firing upon them. 
This was kept up for some time. The French 
r2 



198 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

fou^^ht behind the trees and the long grass, 
and the Americans returned their shot, stand- 
ing up to their knees in mud and water. At 
last De Villier sent a message to Washington, 
proposing terms of peace ; but the terms were 
so insolent that Washington refused them. 
He then sent another messenger, saying that 
Washington and his men should keep their 
arms and baggage, and march out with the 
honours of war, and without any further 
trouble, to the inhabited parts of Virginia. 
He aofreed to do so. But this was not all. 
The Americans had a French prisoner named 
La Force, — and De Villier thought that this 
was a favourable time to ransom him, that is, 
to get him back. So he demanded two hos- 
tages, and they were given. They were Lieu- 
tenants Stobo and Van Braam." 

" But tell me what you mean by giving two 
hostages, sir, if you please." 

" The Americans gave two of their men to 
the French, as pledges that they would treat 
La Force well. Do you understand?" 

" No, Uncle Philip ; I cannot see how that 
was ffoinsf to make them treat the French 
prisoner well." 

" Why, my lad, if the Americans had 
treated La Force in a cruel way, then the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 199 

French would have been unkind to these 
two hostages. Now this is plain, I suppose." 

" Yes, sir, — I know what you mean now." 

" Washington, after agreeing to the terms 
proposed by De Villier, started homeward ; 
and on his march he was constantly disturbed 
both by night and day by the Indians, who 
were allowed to follow him, contrary to the 
treaty that was made. He reached Williams- 
burgh with his men very much fatigued ; but 
Governor Dinwiddle wished the soldiers to 
go immediately back to attack Fort Du 
duesne. Washington said that they were 
then tired, after so hard a journey, and endea- 
voured to persuade the governor to give them 
rest for a time. He would not consent to do 
so ; but sent a message to the Assembly, which 
was then sitting, saying that he wished them 
to help him in raising the troops for this second 
attack upon the French. But they were un- 
willing to do any such thing ; because they 
said all the English colonies ought to fight 
against the French as well as Virginia." 

" What did Governor Dinwiddle do then, 
Uncle Philip ?" 

" He told them that they were an expense 
to the country, without being useful, — and 
therefore he did not wish them to sit an 



200 CONVERSATIONS ON THK 

longer. After this, Washington resigned his 
command of the army. He did not do it, 
however, because the governor had acted so 
strangely." 

"What for, then, sir?" 

" An order came from England, saying that 
the officers who were appointed by the crown 
should take a higher rank in tY\e army than 
those appointed by the governors in the colo- 
nies. This w£is the reason. And now we 
will look after that man La Force. He had 
been trying to make his escape for a long 
time. He at last broke his prison at Wil- 
liamsburgh, and started for the French fort. 
He knew nothing about the country through 
which he had to travel, and was afraid at first 
to ask any questions, fearing that some one 
might discover who he was. He travelled on, 
until he fell in with a countryman, and he 
asked him how far it was to Fort Du Quesne 7 
The countryman began to suspect him imme- 
diately ; and after some other questions, he 
knew that this man was La Force, — and he 
took him, and started to carry him back to 
Williamsburgh. La Force offered to give him 
a large sum of money if he would let him go ; 
but he refused it. He then told the country- 
man that if he would carry him to Fort Du 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 201 

Qiiesne, he would not only give him money 
enough to make him rich, but he would make 
him an officer in the French army. The 
countryman was not to be tempted in this 
way. He knew what his duty was: so he 
refused all the promises, and carried the 
Frenchman back to Williamsburgh. And after 
this, poor La Force was treated in a very 
cruel way. He was loaded with a double 
weight of irons, and chained to the floor of 
his dungeon. When "Washington heard of 
this cruel treatment, he went to Governor 
Dinwiddle, and requested that La Force 
might be treated in a better way. He told 
the governor that it was not only cruel to treat 
a poor prisoner so badly, but that it was 
breaking the terms of the peace that had been 
made with De Yillier. But the governor con- 
tinued his cruelty towards this man. 

" About the same time that the Frenchman 
made his escape, the two hostages, who were 
confined at Quebec, broke their prison. They 
were just going out of the city, when they 
saw the Governor of Canada riding in his 
carriage. Stobo made his escape, but Van 
Braam was fainting with fatigue and hunger, 
and called out to the governor and said he 
was anxious to surrender. The governor 



202 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

took him in his carriage and carried him back 
to prison, but would not allow him to be 
treated cruelly. When the news of all this 
reached Virginia, Mr. Dinwiddie still kept La 
Force chained in irons to his dungeon-floor." 

" Uncle Philip, I think he should not have 
done so." 

" You are right ; he ought to have treated 
his prisoner better. And now look for Hamp- 
ton Roads on the map, and recollect, that at 
this time the English vessels had just arrived 
there, and were filled with English soldiers. 
Did you ever hear of Edward Braddock ?" 

" No, Uncle Philip ; but 1 see Hampton 
Roads on the map, at the mouth of the James 
River." 

"Very good: Edward Braddock was the 
man who came with these troops, and brought 
along with him the king's commission, making 
him commander-in-chief of all the American 
armies. He ordered the troops to go to Al- 
exandria, and he went with Governor Din- 
widdie to Annapolis to meet there the gover- 
nors of the other states, and talk about this 
war with the French. The governors of New- 
England, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Vir- 
ginia were all there, and they all determined 
to carry on this war. Governor Dinwiddie 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 203 

then went back to Williamsburgh, called the 
Assembly together, told them what the other 
colonies were determined to do, and that the 
king had sent troops to help them ; and said 
he hoped that they would do all that was 
in their power to assist in fighting against 
the French. The Assembly resolved to do 
all that they could ; and the governor, after 
thanking them, dismissed them." 



CONVERSATION XIX. 

General Braddock^s. Death — More about 
George Washington — Capture of Port Du 
Qtiesne^ Loidshurg^ and Quebec — End of 
the War with the French — The Stamp Act) 
Patrick Henry^ Mr. Pitt, and Lord Bote- 
tourt, who was Governor cf Virginia, 

" General Braddock, very soon after his 
arrival in the country, became acquainted 
with George Washington. When he heard 
that he had once been commander of the 
army, and knew why he had resigned, he 
was very much pleased with him. He 
thought that he was a young man who knew 
more about the country titan he did, and he 



204 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

invited him to be one of his aids, tliat is, one 
of his officers. Washington consented to the 
proposal, and the army set out from Alexan- 
dria to go to Fort Du duesne. When they 
reached Fort Cumberland, which was the 
farthest settlement on the Virginia frontier, 
they halted to wait for the baggage- wagons 
and provisions. After they left this place the 
road was very rough ; they had to build 
bridges over the streams, and cut down the 
trees as they marched along. It was almost 
impossible to travel." 

"I think so, Uncle Philip. They must 
have travelled very slowly." 

" Very slowly, indeed : and Washington was 
afraid that before they reached this fort, the 
French would send a -great many soldiers 
there. So he advised that they should march 
on rapidly, with barely enough provisions for 
the men, and leave the heavy wagons to come 
on afterward. General Braddock thought 
that this was good advice, and he left one of 
his officers. Colonel Dunbar, behind, to take 
care of th:j baggage, and he marched on with 
the army. Washington was now sick with a 
burning fever, and they had to leave him be- 
hind also. Still they marched on very slowly, 

for tllPV WPrP fr-i t', niMi» no.rlx^'rj M'hnlp ^v>nntb 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 205 

before they reached the Monongahela River. 
When they got thus far, several friendly In- 
dians came to see them, who told them that 
a great number of French soldiers had just 
gone from Canada to Fort Du Quesne. They 
told them, also, that many of the Indian tribes 
had joined the French. Still Braddock de- 
termined to go on. Just before they crossed 
the river,Washington overtook them. He was 
brought in a covered wagon, still sick, and 
very much fatigued by his journey ; but he 
would not rest, and immediately began the 
duties of his station. The fort was six miles 
higher up, on the other side of the river ; so 
they began at once to cross over, for they all 
felt sure of victory. General Braddock started 
with his men from the other bank, and he had 
not marched a half-mile when a tremendous 
firing was heard, and the men began to fall, 
and yet no one could see any enemy." 

<' How was that, Uncle Philip ?" 

" The French and Indians were their ene- 
mies. They had hid themselves in a piece 
of wood, by which the English had to pass, 
and the first knowledge that Braddock had 
of this snare was, when his men began to fall 
dead around him. His men were all very 
s 



206 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

much frightened, for they were not accus- 
tomed to this kind of fighting ; bat Braddock 
rode in the midst of them and entreated them 
to advance. They did advance, but it was 
only to be killed. Most of Braddock's officers 
were killed. He had five horses shot from 
under him, and his two aids were shot at his 
side. Still he continued to fight, until he re- 
ceived a shot himself, and fell from his horse." 

" O, Uncle Philip ! where v/as Washington 
all this time ?" 

" In the midst of the battle, my lads. He 
had two horses shot dead under him, and four 
bullets passed through his clothes, but he es- 
caped unhurt. When Braddock fell, his men 
began to run, and the general would have 
been the prisoner of the French arid the In- 
dians had it not been for Washington." 

" I thought he fell dead from his horse ?" 

" No ; he was shot, and very badly wounded. 
Washington, with the help of Braddock's ser- 
vants, carried him off the field. The army 
continued to fly until it was on the other side 
of the river ; and there the French and the In- 
dians stopped their pursuit. This battle lasted 
for three hours, my children ; and the English 
lost more than sixty able officers. Besides 



History of Virginia. 209 

this, they lost more than three hundred 
soldiers, and all their baggage and provisions. 
The first thing to be done, after crossing the 
river, was to obtain more provisions for the 
men. So Washington was sent to Colonel 
Dunbar for that purpose. He reached the 
colonel on the next evening, and in a little 
time the remainder of Braddock's army came 
there also, bringing with them their general. 
It was fortunate, too, that Colonel Dunbar 
was left behind, for if it had not been for the 
provisions left with him, it is said that the 
men would have starved. General Braddock 
did not live long after he reached this place. 
He died of the wound that he had received : 
and I think, whatever others may say, that he 
was a brave man, and a good soldier." 

" So do I, Uncle Philip ; for no one would 
have fought as he did unless he had been 
brave." 

" True, children : and after his death Colo 
nel Dunbar was made commander-in-chief. 
He went with his men to Philadelphia, to re- 
main through the winter, and left all the sick 
at Fort Cumberland, with not more than one 
hundred soldiers to protect them. And after 
this, a scene of bloodshed and murder, such 
s2 



210 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

as I cannot describe, commenced. The French 
and Indians were turned loose upon the coun- 
try, and men and women, with their children, 
were killed ; their houses were burnt ; and 
they suffered every cruelty that the savages 
could invent. The governor, at last, called 
the Assembly together to see what could be 
done. They raised a large number of men, 
and laid aside money to be given to any 
others who would join the army : and 
Washington was made commander-in-chief 
of these and all other Virginia soldiers." 

" That shows, sir, how much the Virginians 
thought of Washington." 

" Yes, it does indeed ; for he was still very 
young. But matters still went on badly, for 
Washington did not have a sufficient number 
of soldiers to guard the Virginia frontier. 
But Virginia was not the only state that 
suffered. All the others were attacked by the 
savages and French in the same cruel way. 
You have all heard of Benjamin Franklin ?" 

" Yes, sir." 

"Well, he lived in Pennsylvania; and he 
thought that the best way to stop these mur- 
ders, would be for all the colonies to join. 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 211 

Commissioners met from all the states, at 
Albany, for that purpose; but the doctor's 
plan did not succeed." 

" Why not, sir ?" 

" Because, when it was sent to England 
they did not hke it there, and the Assemblies 
in the different states disliked it also." 

" Was not that very strange, Uncle Philip?" 

"I think so; for they might have done 
much better if they had all joined together 
But as they did not, their troubles still con- 
tinued. Complaints every day reached Wash- 
ington, and people were found flying in every 
direction to save their lives. You will under- 
stand better how much these poor creatures 
suffered, when I read to you a part of one of 
Washington's letters, written to Governor 
Dinwiddle, at this time. Give me that large 
thick hook on the lowest shelf, Thomas." 

" Is this the one, sir ?" 

" Yes, thank you. This is a Life of Wash- 
ington, and here is the letter of whch I was 
talking. Listen, children, to this part of it. 

" ' The supplicating tears of the women^ 
and the moving petitions of the men^ melt 
me with such deadly sorrow ^ that I solemnly 



212 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

declare^ if I know my own mind^ I coidd offef 
myself a loilling sacrifice to the butciiej^ing' 
enemy, if that would contribnle to the peojde's 
ease.'' " 

" Washington must have been a very great 
man, Uncle Phihp." 

" Yes ; he was not only great, but good. 
I wish you may all be as good as he was. 
Shortly after this. Lord Loudon, another Brit- 
ish officer, arrived in Virginia with troops, 
but he went to the northern part of the coun- 
try with his men, so I will say nothing more 
of him for the present. To make matters 
worse, while Virginia was in this sad condi- 
tion, Governor Dinwiddie left the country, and 
returned to England. 

" The next governor who was sent out, 
was Francis Fauquier. It was while he was 
governor that the English thought of making 
another attack upon Fort Du Quesne. The 
Virgmia army was ordered to march there, 
and armies from many of the other colonies 
were to meet there for the purpose of reducing 
the fort. On the way the Virginians had a 
battle with the French and Indians, at a place 
called Loyal Hanning, where a Virginian, 
named Captain Bullet, behaved very bravely. 
After this they continued their march towards 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 213 

the fort, and before they came in sight of it. 
they saw dry bones scattered along the road." 
" Bones, did you say, Uncle Philip ?" 
" Yes, children ; the bones of men and horses 
that were killed when Braddock was defeated 
The Indians had neglected to bury them, and 
they were strewed all along on the highway 
At last they saw Fort Du Quesne at a dis- 
tance, and walked on over these bones until 
they came within one hundred yards of it. 
The English then laid a train of powder to 
some combustible matter in the fort. The 
train was set fire to, and the fortress was 
blown up with a tremendous noise." 

"What! with all the Frenchmen in it, 
Uncle Philip ?" 

" No : Washington was the first man who 
dashed into the midst of the smoking ruins, 
and planted the British flag. No Frenchman 
was to be found there. They had got into 
their boats and dropped down the river when 
they first saw the English." 

" Were they afraid to fight, sir ?" 
" Oh no. Brave men were in that fortress, 
but they found their Indian friends forsaking 
them, and that was their reason for deserting 
the fort. So you see how it was at last taken 
by the English. After this they gathered up 



214 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

the bones of poor Braddock's men, and buried 
them all in the same spot. And do you know 
wliat the place is now called where Fort Du 
Quesne stood ?" 

" The town of Pittsburgh stands now on the 
place where the Alleghany and Monongahela 
Rivers join, sir." 

"That is the place. The English, after 
repairing the old fort, and leaving men to 
guard it, named it Pittsburgh, after William 
Pitt, a great man who was then living in 
England, and who was a great friend to 
America. The war continued in other parts 
of the country still. The English succeeded 
in taking Louisburg, on the Island of Cape 
Breton : Crown Point and Ticonderoga were 
reduced, and Quebec was also taken from the 
French. And I ought not to mention the 
battle at Quebec without saying something 
to you of one of the best soldiers, and bravest 
men that ever lived. This was General 
Wolfe. He was the English commander in 
that battle, and, though he gained the victory, 
lost his life in doing it. He fell dreadfully 
wounded in the midst of the battle, and was 
carried by his men from the field. While 
some of his soldiers were standing round 
him, they heard some one cry out ^They 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 215 

run. They run.' Poor Wolfe heard the cry. 
He raised himself, and opened his eyes for an 
instant to ask 'Who runs?' They told him 
that the French were running. Then said 
Wolfe, ' / die contented? 

" This was the last of the war, my children ; 
by which the French lost all Canada, and 
many other possessions." 

" What other possessions, sir ?" 

" Cape Breton, and all the other islands in 
the Gulf and River of St. Lawrence, besides 
several West India islands." 

" And does Canada belong to the English 
now. Uncle Philip ?" 

" Yes. After this war with the French was 
ended, the Virginians lived peaceably enough 
until they began to feel the oppressions of the 
mother country." 

" What do you mean by the mother coun- 
try, sir ?" 

" I mean England, when I speak of the 
* mother country;' for Englishmen settled the 
country, and for a long time England patron- 
ised the colonies, and assisted them. There- 
fore she was called the mother country. You 
have all, I suppose, heard of the Stamp Act .^" 

" Yes sir : but I do not know exactly what 
if mr-ins." 



216 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

" It was a law made in England, laying a 
tax upon all paper that was to be used in the 
colonies for legal purposes, that is, for draw- 
ing deeds, and all similar things. And it 
was called the Stamp Act, because all this 
paper was stamped with a particular mark. 
You know that this tax must have been very- 
oppressive ; for a deed was just as good when 
written upon any other paper, as upon 
stamped paper." 

" What was the act made for, then, sir?" 
" Merely to get money out of the American 
colonies. The act passed in England in the 
year 1765 ; and when the news reached 
America every individual was provoked at 
the injustice of it. The Virginia Assembly 
was then sitting, and a young man named 
Patrick Henry, was one of the members 
for that year. He was a very intelligent 
man, and a great friend to liberty. He was, 
besides this, one of the finest orators that was 
ever born in America. So he introduced 
resolutions in the Virginia Legislature, con- 
demning the Stamp Act as unjust. He said 
that the colonies ought to tax themselves, and 
not be taxed by the people in England. A^ery 
few of the members thought as he did, at first, 
but he persuaded most of them that he was 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 217 

right. You will think this strange, my chil- 
dren, when I tell you that many of the mem- 
bers laughed at Patrick Henry when he first 
rose to speak, because he was so awkward." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, that only proves that 
they knew nothing about him." 

" Surely it does. And after Virginia had 
opposed the Stamp Act, many of the other 
states followed her example. In a little while 
deputies from nine of the colonies met in 
New- York, to know what was to be done. 
Timothy Ruggles, of Massachusetts, was the 
man who was made president of this meeting : 
and I wish you to remember that this was the 
first colonial congJ^essJ'^ 

" But what was done after they met, sir ?" 

" They sent a petition to the king and par- 
liament of England begging that the Stamp 
Act might be repealed. Do you know what 
that means ?" 

" Yes, sir ; you mean that they requested 
that this law about stamp paper might no 
longer be the law." 

" Very good. When this petition reached 
the parliament of England, it was very much 
opposed by many of the members, but particu- 
larly by Mr. Grenville : but Mr. Pitt, who 



218 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

was then a member of parliament, made a 
very able speech in favour of America, and 
the Stamp Act was repealed." 

" That was the Mr. Pitt that was such a 
friend to the colonies, I suppose, sir ?" 

" Yes, my children ; it was the same man. 
When the Virginians heard that the Stamp Act 
was repealed, I can assure you they were very 
much pleased. The Assembly returned thanks 
immediately to the king and parliament : and 
this ought to have convinced the king that 
this colony was very friendly to Aim." 

" Uncle Philip, I wish to know who was 
king of England at this time ?" 

"King George III. But the Virginians 
were not allowed to rejoice long. A man 
named Charles Townsend, one of the king's 
officers in England, said that he knew how 
to raise money from the colonies without 
giving them any offence. Mr. Grenville per- 
suaded him to try his plan ; and while Mr. 
Pitt was absent, a bill was passed to tax tea, 
glass, and many other things. When the Vir- 
ginia Assembly heard of this, they entered 
into new resolutions, saying that these 71010 
laws were oppressive also, — and they hoped 
they would be repealed. 

" About this time Lord Botetourt, the new 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA, 219 

governor, arrived in Virginia. Fauqueir had 
died there not long before. liord Botetourt had 
not been in the country long before he called 
a new Assembly. He had made many friends 
among the people by his kindness towards 
them ; but when the morning came upon 
which he was to meet the Assembly, they be- 
gan to be afraid of him, I will tell you what 
he did on that morning. He seated himself 
in a very handsome carriage that had been 
given to him by the King of England, and 
eight milk-white horses drew it up before the 
State-house. This is the way in which 
the king himself goes to parliament; and 
the people began to think that Lord Bote- 
tourt was too much like a king. However, 
the Assembly that was called was so warmly 
opposed to the conduct of the king and par- 
liament, that the governor dissolved it. But 
the Assembly then went to a private house in 
the city, and there drew up a paper, saying 
that they would not buy any of those things 
which were taxed when they were sent out from 
England. This paper was signed by all who 
were present, and was then ordered to be sent 
throughout the country for all the people to 
put their names to it. This independent be- 
haviour of the Virginians pleased Lord Bote- 



220 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

tourt, although he had dismissed the Assem- 
bly. He sent word to England that the 
Virginians were good, patriotic citizens ; that 
they loved their king, and they also loved 
justice ; and unless justice was done to them, 
he would resign his place." 

" Uncle Philip, I am pleased with that man : 
what did the king do, sir ?" 

" He sent orders to the governors of all the 
colonies to tell the people that those laws 
which they disliked so much should be re- 
pealed. This message made matters better 
for a little while. The people believed what 
was said, and were better satisfied. But the 
governor's conduct did one thing which we 
ought not to forget. It attached the Yirgin- 
ians to I^ord Botetourt : and now, the name of 
not one of the old governors is more respected 
and loved in Virginia than his. He was indeed 
a good governor to them. He did all that he 
could for them while he was alive, — and he died 
with them. They did not forget him ; but the 
first Assembly that met after his death, wishing 
to show their love towards him, ordered a 
monument to be built to his memory : and the 
monument was still standing when 1 was last 
at Williamsburghj the old capital of Virginia * 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 221 



CONVERSATION XX. 

Uncle Philip tells the Children about Gov^ 
ernor Dumnore — About the American Con- 
gress of 1774 — Hoiv Lord Diinmore took the 
Powder from the Colony ; andhotv Patrick 
Henry marched to Williamsburgh to attack 
him, - Governor Dtinmore runs away — • 
Patrick Henry is 7nade Governor of Vir- 
ginia — Declaration of Independence^ Atk 
of July^ 1776, 

" Well, Uncle Philip, here we all are, 
ready to hear more stories from you. Tell 
lis what was done after Lord Botetourt died. 
Who was the next governor ?" 

'• A man called Lord Danmore was the next. 
He was governor in New-York, and was re- 
moved from that place to be Governor of Vir- 
ginia. But before I go any farther, I must 
say something of the other colonies in Amer- 
ica : you will then understand me better. 
Those laws about taxes were felt in other 
parts of the country, as well as Virginia. All 
the states were dissatisfied; but none was 
t2 



222 CONVERSATIOIfS ON THE 

more bold than the state of Massachusetts, m 
showing her dislike to the king- and parlia- 
ment in England," 

" Yes, Uncle Philip ; it was there that they 
threw the tea overboard, — was it not, sir T" 

" Yes ; and I am g^lad to find that you 
know something about American history. 
This tea was sent to America from England 
for the use of tlie colonies : but the Americans 
were not willing to pay any tax at all. So, 
when one of the vessels went into Boston with 
her load, anumber of citizens, dressed like Mo- 
hawk Indians, went on board, and threw more 
than two hundred chests of tea into the sea." 

" Yes, Uncle Phihp - and after that the 
people of Boston were carried out of the 
country to be tried, and treated very badly by 
the English governor in Massachusetts." 

" That is all true. The Assembly of Vir- 
ginia was sitting when the news came of 
what had been done in Massachusetts ; and 
they began at once to complain of the cruel- 
ties that were practised upon the citizens of 
Boston, and said plainly that the English were 
determined to make all the people in America 
their slaves. Governor Dunmore imme- 
diately dissolved the Assembly ; but they went 
then to a long room in one of the taverns in 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 223 

Williamsburgh, and there signed another 
paper, saying that the conduct of the English 
government was cruel and oppressive. 

" It was during Dunmore's administration 
that the Indians again made an attack upon 
the "Virginia frontier. They were defeated, 
after a terrible battle, at a place called Point 
Pleasant, where General Lewis, a very brave 
Virginian officer, lost his life. After this bat- 
tle, another peace was made with the Indians. 
They said that the lands on this side of the 
Ohio River should always belong to the white 
men." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, was not one of those 
Indians named Logan ?" 

" Yes : tell me where you learned that." 

" My father has told me something about a 
letter that Logan wrote to Governor Dun- 
more." 

"Yes: this Logan was a distinguished In- 
dian chief, who was a great friend to the 
white men for a long time: one of the white 
men at last killed his wife and all his chil- 
dren ; and Logan, after that, hated the whites, 
and determined always to fight against them." 

« Was that right, sir ?" 

" Oh no : but what better could you expect 
from a savage? This letter of which your 



224 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

father told you was found in a cabin tied 
to a war-club, and brought to Lord Dunmore, 
When you are older, you can read this letter 
of Logan's. 

" You have all, I suppose, heard something 
of the great American Congress that met in 
Philadelphia in September, in the year 1774." 

" Yes, Uncle Philip ; I have heard my 
father say that some of the ablest men in 
America were in that Congress." 

" That is very true, my lad : this Congress 
was made up of deputies sent from all the 
other states ; and I think it had more ability 
m it than any other body of men that was ever 
brought together in America. Peyton Ran- 
dolph, of Virginia, was made President of it." 

'' Uncle Philip, can you tell us the names 
of some of the men who were there ?" 

"Yes, I can: — George Washington, Pat- 
rick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Richard Lee, 
Edmund Pendleton, John Adams, John Han- 
cock, Benjamin Franklin, and a great many 
others. These were some of the men. You 
must remember the Congress of 1774, for 
Americans often speak of it with great pride. 
And I assure you, my children, that it is not 
to be wondered at." 

" It is strange. Uncle Philip, that the Ena- 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 225 

Ash governors did not stop these men from 
going to this Congress. Where was Governor 
Dunmore, sir ?" 

" At home, shut up in his palace ; and it is 
said that he did attempt to have George Wash- 
ington and Patrick Henry both seized on their 
way to Philadelphia. However, he did not 
succeed. The people did not like Governor 
Dunmore, because he was no friend to them. 
He knew this, and kept almost entirely 
away from them, and seldom had any thing 
to do or to say with any of them. And now 1 
will tell you what caused them to dislike him 
still more. Orders came from Eng^land to 
the governors of the colonies to disarm the 
people in America, by seizing their stores of 
arms and powder. As soon as the order was 
received. Governor Dunmore had the powder 
secretly carried from, the magazine at Wil- 
liamsburgh, and put on board an English ves- 
sel that was riding in the river. He was so 
much frightened after he had done this thing, 
that he armed all his servants, that they might 
defend him if he was attacked ; and he had a 
great many loaded muskets laid upon the 
palace-floor, ready, in case the people should 
attempt to take him. As soon as the people 
in Williamsburgh discovered what was done 



226 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

they took their arms, and insisted upon going 
immediately to the palace to seize the gov- 
ernor. They thought, however, that it was 
best first to send messengers to him, to know 
what he meant by taking the property of the 
colony away." 

^' And what was his answer to this question, 
Uncle Philip?" 

'' He said that he did it for their own safety, 
because he was afraid that the negroes might 
seize the magazine. But this was all false, 
for at the very time when he gave this answer, 
he had armed negroes to guard the palace 
every night. Besides this, you know, that if 
he had really been afraid of the negroes he 
might have placed a guard of Virginians to 
take care of the powder." 

" To be sure he might. Were the people 
satisfied with that answer, sir?" 

Not exactly : but they determined to wait 
and see whether the powder was returned as 
the governor promised it should be. But he 
did not intend to keep his promise, and he 
knew what would follow. So he sent Lady 
Dunmore and her family, by night, on board 
a British ship which was there. But although 
the people at Williamsburgh were willing to 
wait a while, to see what was to be done in the 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 227 

Other parts of Yirginia, the rest of the country 
determined not to wait for one moment. In 
Hanover County, Patrick Henry called out his 
company of men, and started immediately for 
the capital. When he came within sixteen 
miles of the place, he found that he had five hun- 
dred men with him. The governor was fright- 
ened at this news, and called his council toge- 
ther to know what should be done. Henry still 
came on with his men, and the alarm became 
greater. Some of the citizens of Williams - 
burgh went out to meet him, and persuade 
him to stop. But it was all in vain. Henry 
still marched on. In his journey he had 
to pass by the house of Colonel Corbin, the 
man who was the receiver of the king's 
taxes, and there he made his army halt. He 
forced Corbin to give him a bill for the value 
of the powder, and then dismissed his men, 
and went to Philadelphia." 

" Well, that was right, Uncle Philip. Pat- 
rick Henry acted bravely, I think." 

" Surely he did. The governor was still 
so much frightened that he sent a message to 
the captain of an English ship down at 
York, to send him some of the sailors to 
protect him. The sailors were landed by 
night and went to the palace. The Yirgini- 



228 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

aris were more provoked still, when this was 
done, and at last this miserable governor was 
forced to call his council together again. The 
council advised him to call an Assembly, but 
it was a long time before he would do it." 

"Uncle Philip, Governor Dunmore must 
have been a strange man." 

"He was a very base man, children. 
When the Assembly met, they waited for the 
governor for some time, to know what he 
wished them to do, but no governor came. 
Where do you think he was ?" 

" I do not know, Uncle Philip." 

" He had run away in the night, and got 
on board a British vessel. He left a message 
for the Assembly, ordering them to meet him 
on board the British ship." 

" Did they go, sir ?" 

" No. They wrote a letter to him, inviting 
him to come back, and they requested that he 
would order the powder and the guns to be 
returned to the magazine. He would do nei- 
ther o»rthese things : but sailed down the river, 
and published his proclamation commanding 
all the people to come to his standard. He 
promised pardon to those slaves who would 
leave their masters and join him." 

" Did any of them join him, Uncle Philip ?" 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 229 

"Oh yes. He had a great many of the 
slaves under his command. He issued, too, 
a special proclamation against Patrick Henry, 
and all his men, calling them rebels. But 
the people of Virginia returned thanks to Mr. 
Henry for what he had done. Shortly after 
Lord Dunmore left Williamsburgh, a conven- 
tion met in Richmond, and there they ap- 
pointed what was called a Committee of 
Safety. This committee was composed of 
some of the best men in Virginia, and they 
began to raise forces to defend the country. 
Lord Dimmore went about through the coun- 
try with his miserable army doing all the 
mischief that he could. He attacked Hamp- 
ton, but was driven away ; and he set fire to 
Norfolk and the whole town was burnt." 

" Why, Uncle Philip, that was the largest 
town in Virginia, was it not ?" 

"Yes: but Lord Dunmore had no easy 
time : he was- driven from one part of Vir- 
ginia to another by the Americans, for they 
all hated him. Another convention met at 
Williamsburgh in May, 1776, and ordered that 
their delegates who should meet the Ameri- 
can Congress, in Philadelphia, should propose 
that the colonies of America should be de- 



230 CONVERSATIONS ON THE 

clared free and independent. They then made 
regulations for the government of the state, 
and chose Patrick Henry for their governor." 

" Well, I am sure he deserved to be their 
governor." 

"Surely he did. Not long after this, Gov- 
ernor Dunmore was driven out of the country, 
where no man loved him, and he went to 
Staten Island and joined there an English 
fleet. In a little time, however, he left this 
place and returned to England. And I think, 
my children, that Lord Dunmore was one of 
the basest men who was ever in America ^.s a 
governor." 

" Uncle Philip, ought not this man to have 
been severely punished ?" 

" Yes : and he would have been if the Vir- 
ginians had caught him. And now let me 
talk a little of some other parts of the country, 
for it will be difficult for me to mention any 
thing now about Virginia without saying 
something of the other states. In Massachu- 
setts the people had taken up arms and fought 
the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill." 

" Was not General Warren killed there 
Uncle Philip ? I have seen a picture abou t that." 

" Yes ; he was killed at Bunker Hill. In 
Connecticut, Georgia. South Carolina, North 



HISTORY OF VIRGINIA. 631 

Carolina, and indeed in all the states the 
people began to resist. And I wish you to 
remember one thing about North Carolina. 
The people in Mecklenburgh County, in that 
State, were the first people in America who 
declared independence." 

" What was the year, Uncle Philip ?" 
" It was on the 19th day of May, 1775. 
They met in a little town, called Charlotte, in 
Mecklenburgh county, and said they had a 
right to befree^ and that they icould he free ; 
and they passed some very bold resolutions, 
and sent a copy to the President of the Con- 
gress in Philadelphia. They had just heard 
of the battle of Lexington." 

" Well, Uncle Philip, this was more than a 
year before the United States declared inde- 
pendence." 

" Yes ; you know Congress declared inde 
pendence on the 4th of July, 1776. Richard 
Henry Lee, from Virginia, introduced tlie 
motion for independence in Congress, and 
five of the members were appointed to draw 
up the declaration." 

" Oh, Uncle Philip, tell us their names." 
"Thomas Jeflferson, Benjamin Franklin, 
John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert 
Livingston. Five very great men." 



232 CONVERSATIONS. 

"Uncle Philip, my father has told me that 
Mr. Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence." 

*- So he did. When he had finished it, how- 
ever, the other gentlemen of the committee 
altered it in some few places. And now I am 
about to stop. We have come up to the year 
1776, and the history of all the States after 
this time should be told together, for they 
were all joined to fight against England." 

" Will you tell us about this war, Uncle 
Philip?" 

"No, not now. Perhaps at some other 
time, when we all meet again, I may talk to 
you of the American Revolution, and tell you 
how this country was at last made free and 
independent. Good-by, my children. I hope 
you will remember all that I have told you 
about the people in Virginia." 

" We will try to do so, sir." 

" Then you will succeed. Never be afraid 
to try to learn, for when a child determines 
that he will try^ he is likely to do well. The 
first step in knowledge is the resolution to 
try to learn. Remember this always." 

THE END. 

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